Knysna mopping up after mudslides

Mop-up operations are in full swing after heavy rains in the southern Cape caused mudslides in Knysna.

Motorists travelling on the N2 between Knysna and Sedgefield were warned to be wary of mudslides last week‚ and several homes were flooded. Mountain slopes‚ left barren by devastating fires in June‚ partially collapsed during the rains.

Spokesperson for Knysna municipality Chumisa Kalawe said: “Teams from the Knysna and Eden municipalities are currently on site attending to mudslides that affected the community of Brenton-on-Lake following the past week's soaking rains.

“Climate change and the recent fires have exacerbated the potential risks of landslides. The municipalities and the Garden Route Rebuild Initiative (GRRI) have worked extensively to address the high-risk areas where possible.”

Senior manager of roads services at Eden district municipality Hans Ottervanger said that Brenton-on-Lake was affected by sediment on the mountain slopes that overflowed onto the main road and communities below.

"We have teams out checking on them‚ and doing maintenance where necessary‚" Ottervanger added.

Knysna municipal manager Kam Chetty asked residents to contact the municipality for assistance in cleaning up.

"We have to rely on the community as our eyes and ears in the current situation‚ in which we're faced with a massive workload that includes both repairing damaged infrastructure and maintaining infrastructure that wasn't affected by the fires‚" Chetty said.