[Image: We are South Africans/Facebook]
Take a moment to be grateful for the roof over your head and the dry floor at your feet, because hundreds of Saffas across the Western and Eastern Cape are facing the battering of the worst storm we’ve seen so far.
Yes, this happens every year, but one has to admit that it appears to be getting incrementally worse each time, with even higher water levels, even more damage, and more good people left destitute.
After days of torrential rain, flooding, damaging winds, thunderstorms and even snowfall in some regions, the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) has stepped in and classified the situation as a national disaster, The Citizen reported. Consider that the government speak for ‘things have gotten properly hectic’.
Communities have been left underwater, roads have been wrecked, homes damaged, and essential services disrupted as the storm system tore through large parts of the country over the past week, including the Western Cape, North West, Free State, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape and Mpumalanga provinces.
NDMC’s head, Dr Elias Sithole, explained that the declaration will help government departments coordinate faster and strengthen recovery efforts across affected areas. In other words, more resources, more emergency support and hopefully fewer people paddling down their streets in wheelie bins.
Aid cannot come fast enough. We’ve collected some of the most hectic videos showing the raging storm, with areas in the Garden Route seemingly hit hardest.
@big5blessings Crazy storm here in Victoria Bay in South Africa #fyp #cape #storm #creatorsearchinsights ♬ suara asli – Jhn Panjaitan
@maedrienne #plettenbergbay storm update at 9h15am #damage ♬ original sound – Maedrienne
@boomspanPlettenberg Bay♬ original sound – Boomspan
In case you were wondering about the animals:
@melochicksOstriches in the flooded Eastern Cape. Look after your birds farmers… The weather is doing crazy things.♬ original sound – MeloChicks
Further north, the water is as thick as the snow:
@newsnexussa #InCaseYouMissedIt #southafricatiktok #newsnexussa #newsstories ♬ original sound – NewsNexusOfficial
Meanwhile, in Cape Town, the storm is picking up, too.
Lake Michelle in Noordhoek pic.twitter.com/v5FNm6P5oE
— Em (@EmRaisun) May 11, 2026
The City’s Disaster Risk Management Centre says teams have been dealing with damage reports from all over the metro. Roofs were reportedly blown off homes in Westridge, Mitchells Plain and Hanover Park, while flooding hit areas including Khayelitsha, Hout Bay, Strand and the Nyanga hostels. Even Chapman’s Peak Drive has been shut down because the mountain was not holding together well.
“Multiple roads have been flooded and drains blocked across the metro. City teams have been activated to conduct impact assessments and clear affected areas,” said spokesperson Luthando Tyhalibongo. “A collapsed roadway in Church Street, Bellville and a sinkhole in Atlantis have been repaired. Weather-related electricity outages were reported in various areas, with energy teams working to restore supply.”
Tyhalibongo added that parks and recreation teams are also out clearing fallen trees and dangerous branches, because Cape Town’s trees tend to become airborne the second the wind picks up beyond “gentle breeze”.
For now, residents in affected areas are being urged to stay alert, avoid flooded roads and keep an eye on weather warnings.
The storm is not over yet.
[Source: Citizen]