Deadly Storm Ravages South Africa’s Western Cape, Causing Chaos and Destruction

South Africa’s Western Cape region has experienced heavy winds, storms, and strong rainfall, resulting in at least one death.

Also, the severe weather caused school closures and highway closures, mainly in the Cape Winelands, Overberg, and West Coast regions, causing damage to houses, roads, and public infrastructure. Officials are on high alert for more extreme weather.

One fatality was a security officer who was killed by a tree uprooted by heavy winds. Heavy winds also fanned wildfires in the Glencairne area of Cape Town, causing at least eight houses to be gutted. Power outages affected some parts of Cape Town, and at least 26 schools had suffered weather-related damages.

The South African Weather Services issued a high warning for the Western Cape area, citing extreme conditions and possible flooding in other parts of the country, including KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng province, which includes Johannesburg.