Africa-Press – South-Africa. From being stranded to being evacuated, the severe storms in the Western Cape over the weekend have impacted people in different ways.
Large parts of the Western Cape were hit by heavy downpours and gale-force winds that led to severe flooding and road closures.
News24 earlier reported that people had to be evacuated in different areas because of the heavy flooding, including six children trapped in three houses in Strand.
Mudslides were also reported in multiple areas.
A low bridge leading into the small town of Suurbraak was flooded, leaving residents and visitors with no way to enter.
Glenn Bownes, News24’s chief sub-editor, left for Suurbraak on Saturday for a getaway over the long weekend.
He is now stranded in the holiday home because of the flooded bridge.
Bownes said that while the place they were staying in was warm and hadn’t been flooded, they could not get to the shops on the other side of the bridge.
\Thankfully, a local resident baked Bownes some bread, so they haven’t gone hungry yet.
“Our crisis is that we can’t get out,” Bownes said.
“So, we will definitely be stuck here for another day, but we don’t need to be rescued. The water is not coming into our home.”
Hundreds of people have also been affected by the road closures.
On Monday, the Western Cape Department of Mobility urged motorists not to leave their locations because of road closures due to the severe storm.
Western Cape Mobility MEC Ricardo Mackenzie said the severe rainfall and flooding caused significant disruptions to the roads across the Western Cape.
Mackenzie said there have been closures on all major roadways, including the N1, N2, R60, and R62.
Tanya Kloppers and her boyfriend were stuck on the R60 for hours.
They were travelling from Robertson to Worcester when the road was closed both ways.
Kloppers said they were stuck for around three hours before they finally drove back to Robertson, where the road was being cleared of debris.
The couple then drove to Swellendam, where they will spend the night.
Kloppers said hundreds of vehicles were stranded on the R60, and both Robertson and Swellendam were extremely busy with vehicles parked on the side of the roads and at petrol stations, presumably to spend the evening there because of the road closures.
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