Cape Town — Western Cape residents have been urged to brace for strong winds set to hit the province from Tiesday until Thursday this week, with winds already causing damage in certain areas.
The Western Cape Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, Anton Bredell, said the public should take the warnings seriously as the South African Weather Services (SAWS) predicted a level 6 warning along the Western Cape coastline over the Garden Route, Overberg, Cape Winelands and Central Karoo.
“We call on people to be mindful of the expected severe weather. Soils are saturated from the recent rains, so we can expect trees to be uprooted, and damage to wind-exposed structures are possible. Please avoid activities along the coast and at sea. Of particular concern are recreational sailors in small boats and rock anglers,” Bredell said in a statement.
Bredell said the incoming storm is a good example of why coastal provinces should work together when it comes to disaster risk management. He said the weather system would also impact parts of the Northern Cape and Eastern Cape coasts.
🌧️Orange level 6 warning: Damaging winds
Validity: 27 August 2024, 10:00 SAST until 20:00 SAST.
Affected area: Western Cape & Namaqua #saws #weatheroutlook #southafricanweather pic.twitter.com/uMISDTSeTN— SA Weather Service (@SAWeatherServic) August 26, 2024
“It makes sense for us to work together during these severe weather events. As such I am in full support of the MOU we have in place for cooperation between the coastal provinces, which also includes KwaZulu-Natal. I would like to see us taking it to the next level with tangible projects and training exercises between different rescue entities in the provinces,” he said.
High waves between 4-8m are expected in Lambert’s bay and Plettenberg Bay with winds ranging from 60km/h to 100km/h along the coast. The combination of high waves and strong winds will make for rough sea conditions.
Starting in the early hours of Tuesday morning, the city was hit by strong winds and rain, which affected the Access Park Shopping Centre. The winds hit the self-standing structure around 9am this morning which caused the arch to topple over.
The footage was captured on CCTV cameras. The structure did not hit any people or vehicles and no one was injured. The main entrance to the centre was closed off.
Cape Town – Wet and Windy: Structural Collapse at Access Park pic.twitter.com/4seA6XTIMy
— TrafficSA (@TrafficSA) August 27, 2024
Meanwhile, KickOFF reported that the inclement weather has affected tonight’s MTN8 semi-final clash between Cape Town City and Orlando Pirates has been postponed.
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
