Heavy rain, dangerous rivers threaten Western Cape until Tuesday

Cape Town – The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has issued multiple severe weather warnings for parts of the country, including an Orange Level 8 warning for disruptive rainfall in the Western Cape, with flooding, mudslides and dangerous river conditions expected until Tuesday.

According to SAWS, the heavy rainfall is likely to affect the mountainous regions of Drakenstein, Stellenbosch, western parts of Theewaterskloof, the City of Cape Town, Breede Valley and Witzenberg local municipalities.

“The adverse weather is expected to lead to the flooding of roads, bridges and formal and informal settlements, mudslides and danger to life due to fast flowing rivers,” SAWS said.

An Orange Level 6 warning for disruptive rainfall has also been issued for the southern West Coast and western parts of the Overberg District, where flooding of roads, low-lying bridges and settlements is anticipated.

The weather service further warned of damaging winds and waves along the coast between Lambert’s Bay and Cannon Rocks, issuing an Orange Level 6 alert for dangerous sea conditions and possible damage to coastal infrastructure until Tuesday.

Weather forecast for tomorrow, 11 May 2026:
Partly cloudy and cool to warm but cloudy, windy and cold in the south with isolated to scattered showers and rain but widespread in the south-western parts.#saws #WeatherSmart #Warning #floods pic.twitter.com/qYhH80hree

— SA Weather Service (@SAWeatherServic) May 10, 2026

Inland areas are also expected to experience severe weather conditions, with an Orange Level 5 warning issued for damaging interior winds across central parts of the Western Cape and the northern and central parts of the Eastern Cape.

Additional Yellow Level warnings were issued for damaging winds, waves, disruptive rainfall and snowfall across several provinces, including the Northern Cape, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape.

SAWS said snowfall could result in traffic disruptions, icy roads, possible mountain pass closures and livestock losses in parts of the Northern Cape, Western Cape and Eastern Cape until Monday.

In response to the warnings, the Western Cape government said it had intensified disaster preparedness measures across the province.

“The Provincial Disaster Management Centre has activated coordination mechanisms across all districts and in the City of Cape Town, with all disaster management centres placed on high alert,” the provincial government said in a statement.

Residents have been urged to monitor official communication channels for updates, avoid unnecessary travel, stay away from rivers and low-lying bridges, and secure loose objects ahead of the strong winds.