Heavy storms are wreaking havoc in the Western Cape, with over 21 schools having to close, while roads and houses have also been damaged and more severe storms have been forecast for today, 8 April 2024
The province’s disaster management plan which is currently put in place to protect learners from the level 9,4,6 rains, includes closing government schools in the Cape Winelands, Overberg and the Helderberg regions due to strong winds and heavy rain in the areas.
Western Cape Premier Alan Winde said that some schools have already been damaged by the wind and rain, while other parts of the province have experienced fire which makes it unsafe for learners to attend school in such circumstances. Winde has urged the public to refrain from distributing fake news regarding incidents that have occurred because of the bad weather.
“We would like to keep our schools open and not closed. We have not taken this decision lightly but of course we do not want parents to be taking their children to school hostels this afternoon. We do not want buses conveying children to schools with this high risk of loads of rain and potential flooding,” Winde said.
Meanwhile, Western Cape Education MEC, David Maynier said they have received incident reports from five schools and the major damages is on roofing of the properties. He said that the emergency infrastructure team is already attending to the damages.
South African Weather Service (SAWS) representative, Rudzani Malala, said that they are worried about the winds and rain that the province is currently experiencing and still expected to happen. Despite the damage that the weather has done, the SAWS says that they are impressed and thankful to the Western Cape province for the efforts taken to ensure that residents are protected and alert about the disastrous weather conditions.
“The area of level 9 covers the Cape Winelands and Overberg. We are expecting quite a lot of disruptive rain hence the call that has been made to shut down schools and maybe other businesses will be closed. We are expecting more rainfall from the morning and the rest of the afternoon,” Malala said.
The Western Cape Education Department said that they will release an update regarding schools, tomorrow 9 April 2024.