150 homes flooded in Cape of Storms

At least 150 homes were flooded by a storm that hit Cape Town on Friday afternoon, the city council said.

Disaster Risk Management's Charlotte Powell said the flooded houses were in Khayelitsha and Philippi.

Roofs had been blown off in Philippi, Schaapkraal, Lavender Hill, Imizamo Yethu, Hout Bay and Masiphumelele.

Trees had been uprooted in suburbs across the city, including Hout Bay, Constantia, Belhar, Delft, Kloofnek, Fish Hoek, Wynberg and Glencairn.

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Powell said the city council roads and stormwater, electricity, and parks and forests departments were attending to incidents.

“Disaster management is in consultation with the South African Weather Service, which has advised that the worst of the storm has passed the Cape metropole and is moving northeasterly. Wind speeds have been recorded at Cape Town International Airport of 50km/h to 80km/h,” Powell said.

Earlier, provincial traffic chief Kenny Africa said heavy rain and strong winds, with gusts of up to 101km/h predicted, were causing havoc on roads.

He said a dust storm had been reported on the N2 between Caledon and Sir Lowry's Pass.

Africa was on site between Heidelberg and Swellendam where the weather was the cause of a head-on collision between two vehicles.

“Two occupants were thrown out of the vehicles. A woman who was the occupant of a light motor vehicle died. She is currently behind the wheel,” he said.

Cape Town International Airport spokesperson Deidre Davids urged passengers to check their flights online to avoid confusion.

"There have been flights delayed. Both arrivals and departures are on a reduced schedule, with delays of up to 40 minutes due to the bad weather," she said.

– TMG Digital/The Times