South African local authorities said on Monday that two people had been killed in the floods that have been battering the Western Cape province in southwest South Africa for several days.
Colin Deiner, Provincial Director of the Department of Disaster Management, said: “Communities in the Overberg region on the west coast have been hard hit by the recent flooding”.
The official added that in the face of a level four weather warning, the authorities had taken steps to ensure access to the Cape Winelands and Overberg regions for relief teams and humanitarian NGOs.
The official also urged the local population to be more vigilant by avoiding flooded rivers and staying away from flooded areas.
The spokesman for the NGO “Gift of the Givers”, Ali Samblay, said that more than 1,200 residents of Rawsonville were left homeless after floods swept away around 340 houses in the informal settlement of Spooky Town. He added that some roads and tunnels had been closed by the National Roads Agency because of landslides caused by the rainfall.