Kouga Municipality
UPDATE: SAWS has upgraded the weather alert from Level 5 to Level 8.
The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has issued an Orange Level 8 warning for disruptive rainfall as a cut-off low weather system moves across the country.
The system is expected to bring heavy downpours to vulnerable parts of the Eastern Cape from 3rd (Wednesday) into 4th June (Thursday), sparking fears of secondary flooding across communities that have not yet recovered from last month’s catastrophic storms.
According to SAWS forecaster Ayabonga Tshungwana, the impending weather system will primarily affect the Sarah Baartman and Amathole District Municipalities.
Widespread rainfall is also expected to extend across Nelson Mandela Bay and its surrounding areas.
“We expect a cut-off low that is going to be moving over the country, which is going to be affecting mostly the Eastern Cape from Wednesday and Thursday,” said Tshungwana.
He added that the Level 8 warning indicates a medium likelihood of significant impact, with heavy rainfall expected over several regions.
“The chances of the event to occur are medium, but the impact if the event occurs will be significant,” he explained.
SAWS further warned that the system will bring persistent rainfall throughout the mid-week period, accompanied by bitterly cold conditions.
Forecasters note there is a chance of light snowfalls over the high-lying areas of the province later in the week, though no official snow warning has been issued yet.
Head of the Garden Route Disaster Management Gerhard Otto says the system has been closely monitored since Sunday, with authorities briefing municipalities and activating response plans ahead of the storm.
“Some repairs have been done on our roads, but they are not permanent, so we expect that certain routes may again become inaccessible. We have urged farmers to increase their stock levels and prepare emergency relief measures, as some areas could once again be cut off for up to 14 days,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality has placed its disaster management teams on high alert.
City officials warned that the expected heavy rainfall could quickly result in localised flooding, dangerous road conditions, severe infrastructure damage, and widespread disruptions to essential services.
“The Municipality’s Disaster Management Centre, emergency services, and relevant departments have been placed on high alert and are closely monitoring developments,” the city said in a statement.
Motorists across the metro have been strongly urged to avoid travelling during periods of heavy rain and have been strictly warned never to attempt to cross flooded roads or low-lying bridges.
Residents have also been advised to secure their property, clear domestic drainage systems where possible, and continuously monitor official communication channels for updates.
Executive Mayor Cllr Babalwa Lobishe stated that the city is taking aggressive, proactive steps to minimise risks to human life.
“We urge all residents to remain vigilant, heed all weather warnings, and prioritise their safety. While municipal teams are on standby, community cooperation is critical in reducing risks,” she said.
The threat is particularly severe in the neighbouring Kouga Municipality, where local officials have issued urgent warnings to residents.
The region is exceptionally vulnerable, as it is still recovering from the devastating floods that struck between 5 May and 11 May 2026, an event that the Head of the National Disaster Management Centre officially classified as a national disaster.
Driven by a severe Orange Level 8 cut-off low system, over 100mm of rain fell in a short period last month.
That deluge caused the Kouga Dam to surge from 40% capacity to over 100% within hours, forcing massive downriver inflows and displacing hundreds of families across Hankey, Patensie, Loerie, Thornhill, Gamtoos Mouth, Sea Vista, Oyster Bay, Humansdorp, and parts of Jeffreys Bay.
The economic toll of last month’s disaster has been staggering, with overall damages across the Eastern Cape province surpassing R1.5 billion.
High-level visual assessments show that fixing broken roads, collapsed bridges, damaged electricity grids, and compromised stormwater networks in the Kouga Municipality alone will cost an estimated R170.3 million (excluding VAT).
Additionally, the broader agricultural sector in the Gamtoos Valley hub suffered more than R1.4 billion in losses after ready-to-harvest crop fields and farming infrastructure were completely destroyed.
Local authorities have already escalated urgent resolutions to the National Disaster Management Centre to unlock emergency provincial and national relief funding, noting that local municipal budgets cannot absorb the multi-million-rand losses.
The Kouga Executive Mayor, Cllr Hattingh Bornman, confirmed that stormwater systems are being cleared in preparation for Wednesday’s system but cautioned that further rainfall will likely worsen conditions on ground that is already completely saturated.
“With the land so soaked after the recent floods, we do want residents to please be safe because we are expecting more flooding to come,” the mayor cautioned.
The municipality urged all residents to remain cautious, especially those living in low-lying or flood-prone informal settlements, as emergency services remain on standby across the province.
Sandy McCowen
www.algoafm.co.za
