Kouga Municipality
Widespread flooding and storm damage have battered parts of the Eastern and Western Cape this week, leaving roads washed away, homes destroyed and thousands of residents displaced as disaster teams race to assist trapped communities.
In the Eastern Cape, the Gamtoos Valley and surrounding Kouga region were among the hardest hit after relentless rainfall caused rivers and dams to swell beyond capacity.
On Thursday, the Kouga Municipality issued urgent evacuation notices for residents living in low-lying areas after the Kouga Dam exceeded capacity levels.
Residents from Kingsway Village, Big Fish, Gamtoos Mouth Resort, Ferry Hotel and surrounding flood-prone areas were instructed to evacuate immediately as water levels in the Gamtoos River rose rapidly overnight.
They were again urged on Friday to evacuate immediately as river levels continued to rise dangerously fast.
Authorities also confirmed that the Impofu Dam had reached 110% capacity following days of heavy rainfall across the region.
Gamtoos rescue operations intensify
Kouga Executive Mayor Hattingh Bornman said rescue operations were underway in the Gamtoos River Valley where dozens of residents had become trapped by floodwaters.
These residents had refused to evacuate earlier when urged by emergency services, and later became trapped.
“Rescue operations are currently in place in the Gamtoos River Valley at Gamtoos Mouth where about 40 residents are trapped by the flooding of the Gamtoos River,” Bornman said.
“The rescue operation is being undertaken by the National Sea Rescue Institute, the South African Police Service divers and our municipal emergency staff who are there making sure residents are safe and that we get to them as quickly as possible.”
He said the situation remained volatile as river levels continued rising through the night.
“The river levels have increased throughout the night and we will do more assessments also on the Krom River as soon as we get information from the Loerie Dam,” he said.
Bornman later said rescue teams, including NSRI, Rescue SA and SAPS divers, were continuing evacuation efforts in the Kingsway area where residents had become stranded.
“This is the Gamtoos River behind me where the NSRI has got a lot of these small boats that are going across to the Kingsway area where there’s an estimated 40 people being taken out of the area,” he said.
“We’ve got NSRI and Rescue SA and SAPS divers here, really incredible people that are assisting residents to evacuate.”
He again appealed to residents not to ignore evacuation warnings.
“The Krom River levels are rising very fast so we want to urge residents to please get to safety. Do not take chances,” Bornman said.
“We’ve seen here that if you do not evacuate when asked, we do sit with big problems, so please take care.”
He said the main threat remained communities living close to the riverbanks.
“The canals at this stage are rising but are not under threat yet. The biggest concern is the low-lying areas along the Krom River itself,” he said.
“So, the Krom River and Gamtoos River low-lying areas, please evacuate as soon as possible.”
Bornman confirmed that the R102 between Montagu and the Ferry Hotel had been closed due to severe flooding.
“It’s incredible, the amount of damage our infrastructure has sustained, roads have been washed away and areas like the one behind us have been severely affected,” he said.
“Our teams have been working throughout the night for the past two nights, trying to evacuate people and assist where roads have been blocked by fallen trees or flood damage to ensure they remain accessible.”
He said Humansdorp appeared to be among the worst-affected towns.
“Many people have suffered damage to their homes, and our infrastructure has taken a severe beating there,” he said.
“But here in Hankey there is also major flooding, and houses are being evacuated or have already been evacuated.”
R62 collapses as infrastructure takes severe strain
The severe weather also dealt a major blow to transport infrastructure in the Eastern Cape after a section of the R62 between Kareedouw and Joubertina collapsed due to persistent rainfall and saturated ground conditions.
Provincial transport spokesperson Unathi Binqose said the route would remain closed while engineers conducted assessments and prepared repair plans.
Motorists travelling between the Eastern and Western Cape have been advised to make use of the N2 as an alternative route.
“The collapse of the section of the R62 is by far the biggest infrastructure blow we have suffered since the beginning of the adverse weather conditions,” Binqose said.
“And of course that will have serious implications on surrounding communities and economic activity in that region as the produce from those farms is not only for local but also for international markets.”
“Our teams of engineers are out and about monitoring the situation all across the province as the rain persists.”
Rainfall figures
According to rainfall figures from the South African Weather Service, several areas across the Eastern Cape and Garden Route recorded exceptionally high rainfall totals over the past 48 hours.
- Port Elizabeth Airport recorded 85mm of rain in a 24-hour period
- Flower Reserve near Gqeberha measured an extraordinary 115.2mm.
- Joubertina recorded more than 219mm at one station and a total exceeding 300mm over the rainfall period.
- Port Alfred recorded 113mm
- George measured 91.9mm
- Plettenberg Bay recorded 92.6mm
- Makhanda received 51.6mm.
SA Weather Service meteorologist Lelo Kleinbooi said the severe weather was caused by a powerful cut-off low-pressure system moving across the country.
“We have a cut-off low, a weather system that develops in the upper air, that was over the western part of the country on Tuesday and then moved into the Eastern Cape,” Kleinbooi explained.
“The combination of these weather systems resulted in widespread showers and thundershowers across most parts of South Africa.”
She warned that rainfall totals along the south coast could become “explosive”, with some regions expected to exceed 150mm within 24 hours.
“Strong to gale-force winds, heavy rain leading to flooding, very rough to high seas, snowfall that may be disruptive and very cold conditions are expected over the Cape provinces,” she said.
Garden Route communities cut off
The severe weather has also devastated large parts of the Garden Route where flooding forced evacuations and cut electricity to several communities.
Disaster management teams said Knysna and Plettenberg Bay bore the brunt of the category 8 storm system after more than 200mm of rain fell in some areas.
Residents living near the Piesang Valley River in Plettenberg Bay had to be evacuated after the river burst its banks, with many relocated to community halls for shelter.
Garden Route disaster management head Gerhard Otto said several communities remained isolated.
“We are aware of some areas that are still cut off and there’s no power in the Langkloof area, as well as in some areas in Plettenberg Bay and also some areas in the Knysna area,” Otto said.
“For that we have requested Eskom to prioritise areas, specifically those areas that are required to provide electricity for the pumping of water and sanitation services.”
Severe weather conditions also caused widespread electricity outages across several communities in the Garden Route.
Areas supplied by Eskom including Kurland, Nature’s Valley, Green Valley and Kranshoek remained without electricity as floodwaters made some roads inaccessible, delaying repair operations.
Municipal officials said Eskom teams were working to restore supply despite dangerous conditions.
Qolweni and Bossiesgif were also left without power due to a cable fault, while Geelhout Street experienced a prolonged outage after saturated ground conditions complicated repairs to damaged electricity poles.
Municipal teams said numerous additional electrical complaints had been received from residents across affected areas as technicians worked extended hours under hazardous conditions.
The Touw River mouth in Wilderness also broke open due to the intense flooding, allowing water to surge freely between the river and the sea.
Thousands relocated as dams overflow
In Nelson Mandela Bay, emergency shelters were opened as floodwaters submerged roads and homes in several areas.
Schools across parts of the Eastern Cape and Garden Route were also closed as authorities warned of dangerous conditions.
Executive Mayor Babalwa Lobishe said that despite the devastation caused by the storms, the rainfall had significantly improved water security across the metro.
“Despite the challenges brought about by the heavy rains, there is a positive development worth noting,” Lobishe said.
“The sustained rainfall has resulted in a significant improvement in dam levels of the dams that supply the Metro, with some dams currently overflowing. This marks a major step forward in strengthening water availability and long-term water security for Nelson Mandela Bay.”
She said the immediate priority, however, remained the safety and wellbeing of affected residents.
“To date, we have successfully rescued a total of 2,517 residents, who have been relocated to over 23 community centres currently serving as temporary shelters,” Lobishe said.
“At these facilities, relief support is being provided, including food, basic necessities, and essential services to assist displaced families.”
Relief efforts intensify across affected areas
Meanwhile humanitarian organisations and private companies have mobilised relief operations across affected communities.
Isuzu Motors South Africa announced it had deployed additional vehicles to support the humanitarian efforts of Gift of the Givers Foundation in Nelson Mandela Bay.
The fleet now includes multiple ISUZU D-MAX bakkies and two 5,000-litre water tanker trucks assisting with the delivery of food, blankets, hygiene packs and clean drinking water to displaced residents.
Nandi Matomela, Department Executive for Corporate Affairs at Isuzu Motors South Africa, said the company was committed to supporting communities affected by the disaster.
“As a business with deep roots in Nelson Mandela Bay, we recognise the importance of acting decisively in support of communities during times of crisis,” Matomela said.
“Through our ongoing partnership with Gift of the Givers and collaboration with local authorities, we are focused on enabling an efficient and coordinated response that ensures essential assistance reaches those most affected.”
Gift of the Givers project manager Ali Sablay said additional personnel and resources had been deployed from warehouses in Adelaide and the Western Cape.
“While flooding has limited access in certain areas, the availability of additional ISUZU vehicles is enabling our teams to reach affected communities more efficiently and expand the delivery of humanitarian aid,” Sablay said.
Search and rescue teams remain on standby across both provinces as forecasters warn that more rain, gale-force winds and dangerous sea conditions could continue into the weekend.
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