Cape Town – A video showing a weather phenomenon off the Cape St Francis coast in the Eastern Cape has been confirmed as a waterspout, not a tornado.
According to Hugh van Niekerk of the South African Weather Service, the waterspout formed near the village coastline and has since dissipated, though more may still be forming offshore, Caxton network news reported.
Waterspouts are similar to tornadoes but generally weaker and form more easily over water due to less friction.
Van Niekerk reassured residents that these systems are not strong enough to cause serious damage, though they might pose a short-term risk to small vessels at sea.
Forecaster Markus Geldenhuys confirmed ongoing conditions could lead to further waterspouts, with a yellow level 3 warning issued for damaging winds and possible waterspouts from Storms River/Plettenberg Bay to Hamburg, valid until 07:00 tomorrow.
Tornado off Cape st Francis never seen this here before 😳😳 pic.twitter.com/zyNXNQAeeP
— Capt Mylo (@CaptMylo) June 9, 2025
However, he emphasised that these events are short-lived, typically lasting 5–10 minutes, and rarely move onto land or cause significant damage.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
