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Water damage restricted First seasonal rains
Yaël Malgas and Hlomla Mdala
T
he first autumn rains brought destruction from the streets to stores in Stellenbosch this past weekend.
Simnikiwe Nkohla, standing in front of the now open space, which once housed his shack. Photo: Hlomla Mdala
In the Cape Winelands recorded rainfall over the past weekend ranges from 50 mm to 80 mm, while mountainous areas in this district recorded up to 120 mm of rain over the three days. Social media was abuzz with Stellenbosch residents sharing views of flooded streets from the town’s centre right to Ida’s Valley and Khayamandi. Municipal officials, including executive mayor Jeremy Fasser and council members, were out and about delivering sandbags and assessing damage. Some homes and businesses were left flooded. Eikestad Mall, the Stellenbosch University (SU) Library and the Neelsie Student Centre as well as the local bar Aandklas had water streaming into its premises. Clean-up crews managed to bring order to most buildings. By Monday (20 April) Eikestad Mall management confirmed the shopping centre was back up and running, while SU said its library would be closed until further notice. “The university would like to assure you that the situation is being actively managed, with designated response teams from Campus Development, Infrastructure and Services (CDIS) were promptly deployed on site,” Dr Ronel Retief, registrar and acting rector and vice-chancellor, said in a statement. “Importantly, no injuries have been reported and we are grateful that university operations can continue, despite water damage in places.” She said affected on-campus students were being supported,
Localised flooding was also reported in Ida’s Valley. PHOTO: Facebook/Good Stellenbosch
including arrangements for alternative accommodation where required. The storm didn’t seem to hinder some students, some of whom were seen in town, clad only in shorts, being splashed by passing cars, while others saw it as an opportunity to boogie-board down the street. Stuart Grobbelaar, a spokesperson for Stellenbosch Municipality, said the rains had caused minimal damage to infrastructure. “Where minor disruptions occurred, our teams responded swiftly to ensure services were restored as quickly as possible. As part of our ongoing Win-
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ter Preparedness Programme, municipal teams continuously work to clean and clear stormwater drains of debris and obstructions,” he said. “However, the sheer volume of rainwater – often carrying leaves, branches, sand, rocks and litter – can overwhelm systems and lead to temporary blockages. Throughout the weekend our crews were deployed across affected areas to respond to incidents, clear blocked drains and mitigate localised flooding.” Efforts to upgrade and maintain stormwater infrastructure are ongoing, with teams ac-
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tively working across all areas to improve resilience ahead of further winter rainfall, Grobbelaar added. In Khayamandi the sudden downpour left several homes and residents severely affected.
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Videos shared widely on social media showed homes being flooded with water, some knee-deep, damaging people’s belongings. For some residents this has been devastating. To page 2.
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