Africa-Press – South-Africa. Mop-up operations are under way in coastal areas that were battered by large swells and high waves during spring tides over the weekend.
The spring tides occurred after the SA Weather Service issued a warning for damaging winds, resulting in difficult navigation, damage to coastal infrastructure, beach erosion and possible rogue waves.
The Garden Route was among the worst-affected areas, according to Wouter Kriel, spokesperson for Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning MEC Anton Bredell.
A woman died in Wilderness on Saturday when a wave crashed into a car park, swept her off her feet and washed away cars. A man was injured in the incident.
Western Cape Department of Infrastructure spokesperson Ntobeko Mbingeleli said the department had dispatched teams to assess the extent of damage.
In addition, the George municipality said on Monday that its service and technical departments had begun mop-up operations and damage assessments.
The municipality was unable to provide an estimate for the rand value of the damages, but it is believed to be to the tune of millions of rand.
Herolds Bay and Victoria Bay in George, and Leentjies in Wilderness are closed until further notice.
In Hartenbos, there were evacuations and damage to beach infrastructure.
In the Mossel Bay municipality, damage was caused to access points at several beaches. Dana Bay, First and Second beaches, and Glentana Beach were closed.
The Garden Route District Municipality’s head of Disaster Management (GDRM), Gerhard Otto, said repairs to critical infrastructure had either been completed or were under way.
In the Tsitsikamma Section of Garden Route National Park, guests on the Otter Trail had to be evacuated. The Waterfall hiking and mouth trails have been closed temporarily. Some facilities and camps also had to be closed due to flood damage.
Meanwhile, in the Cape Town metro, Gordon’s Bay and Kalk Bay were affected.
According to City of Cape Town Disaster Risk Management Centre spokesperson Charlotte Powell, initial assessments indicated damage to garage doors of eight properties in the Bikini Beach area, as well as damage to the St James tidal pool and the Brass Bell restaurant in Kalk Bay.
In the Eastern Cape, the Kouga municipality requested that the public exercise extreme caution in Jeffreys Bay.
The causeway between Aston Bay and Paradise Beach was closed, and the municipality is expected to carry out assessments to determine whether it is structurally stable.
In the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality, beachgoers were warned to be cautious around the beachfront. The metro is still assessing the damage caused at some of its beaches.
Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture, Portfolio head, Bassie Kamana, said the municipality would meet on Monday to assess the extent of the damage.
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