Alert issued as more disruptive rain on way

Less than a month after Nelson Mandela Bay was engulfed by one of the most severe storms in recent memory, another warning has been issued for heavy rains headed to the region this week.

The South African Weather Services (SAWS) has issued an Orange Level 5 warning for disruptive rain, effective from Wednesday to Thursday.

The warning highlights the potential for flooding of roads and settlements, traffic disruptions, danger to life, mudslides, rockfalls and soil erosion.

Story audio is generated using AI Three weeks after floodwaters surged through the Gamtoos Valley, leaving parts of the area submerged under nearly 3m of water, residents and business owners are still grappling with the devastating aftermath — clearing mud-soaked homes, salvaging what they can and facing the long road to recovery. On the banks of the Gamtoos River, the iconic Gamtoos Ferry Hotel has become a hive of cleanup activity. Where a manicured garden once welcomed guests, staff now pressure-cleaned mud-caked mattresses and vintage couches. Nearby, cutlery and kitchenware were being scrubbed down. Inside, rooms were slowly being restored after being inundated with contaminated floodwater and thick silt which had packed the walls and floors. The famous Gamtoos River Ferry lay stranded against a tree, tangled in mielie stalks, and the hotel’s wedding chapel remained covered in debris — stark reminders of the force of the flood. Hotel owner Roy Herselmann said he and his wife, Annette, had bought the establishment three years ago. Since then, they had transformed the property into a popular destination. “Annette and I brought a lot of changes to the Ferry Hotel when we took over and people really liked what she was doing,” he said. He said many of the antiques and furnishings — carefully sourced from across SA and abroad — had been damaged beyond repair. “She furnished the place with colonial and vintage antiques she had collected from all over the globe,” he said. “Those are very difficult to replace. “The water level was 200mm above the top of the doors throughout the whole place. “The water was contaminated with a fine mud silt, so when everything dried out, that silt covered everything.” The couple initially planned to stay on the property during the storm but evacuated after emergency workers warned of a possible 8m surge in water levels. “We live on the second storey and had planned on staying here,” Herselmann said. “But when Annette made a huge pot of soup for the emergency workers, they told us that we were taking a chance. “So we cleared out and went to a guesthouse in Jeffreys Bay.” Returning to assess the damage was an emotional experience. “Annette was in tears for days,” he said. “The amount of destruction was massive. “I was numb inside. “When you realise you have to restart the whole thing it is heartbreaking.” The disaster has also had a direct impact on staff. More than 40 employees have been placed on disaster notice so they can access UIF support. Despite the losses, Herselmann praised the swift intervention of their insurance broker. “Our broker, Thinus Botha from Donsure, was very pre-emptive. “He rented five huge refrigeration lorries and helped us move items from low-lying rooms. “I have never heard of an insurance broker going to such lengths to help a client.” Though the total cost of the damage is still being assessed, the hotel has already spent about R500,000 on clean-up operations. Efforts are now focused on cataloguing damaged electrical equipment for insurance claims. Herselmann hopes the hotel will reopen by August or September, though several pre-booked weddings had to be relocated. “We had 15 weddings lined up but the brides have been very understanding,” he said, adding that the first relocated wedding was successfully hosted at a venue outside Humansdorp. Community support had also played a crucial role. “People from all around have been really great. “Some have even offered to come and help us clean up.” A few properties away, the 72-year-old owner of a facebrick double-storey house was fixing his gate motor and said that he now owned the “most famous” house in the Eastern Cape. Various media houses had published photographs of Northern Cape farmer Pienaar Viviers’ house submerged in water. “I built this house in 2018 so this is the first time it has been flooded like this. “My house was totally under water. “According to the assessor, the water level was 3m deep.” Though much was lost, Viviers remained positive. “You can’t get the memories back — the photos and things we gathered — but we are still alive and must be grateful for that.” Some belongings were carried far downstream. “My cabin boat was found 3km down the river, badly damaged. “One of my couches was also found far away,” he said, finding a bit of humour in the trying situation. He managed to save some furniture by moving it upstairs before evacuating — and now says he will be better prepared in future. “They say this was a once-in-a-100-year flood, so I think this will be my first and last.” Further upstream in the Patensie area, farmers warned that the long-term impact on agriculture would be severe. Citrus farmer Corne Muller said he had lost six hectares of 10-year-old lemon trees. “It will take at least 10 years to restore the farm,” he said. Muller described how the floodwaters rose rapidly, catching many off guard, especially as power outages had left farmers without access to emergency updates. “When we eventually got through to the relevant people, they told us that 33-million litres would flood the little bridge in Hankey — but there was so much more on its way.” Realising the danger, Muller rushed to warn neighbours. “We managed to get about 130 people out just in time.” Three weeks later, he still has no electricity or water and the losses continue to mount. “We missed the big harvest two weeks ago, so that was a huge loss,” he said. “Many workers have very little left.” Without water and electricity, maintaining remaining crops had become near impossible. “All our fertiliser has been washed out of the soil. “The knock-on effect is terrible and it will take a long time to recover.” Muller estimated that about 40% of Patensie’s crops were affected, with some farmers losing entire fields and, in some cases, even the land itself, which was washed away. “We just have to do everything we can to produce for next year,” he said. “The banks will still want their money, so all we can hope for is some form of grace so that we can carry on.” Follow The Herald WhatsApp channel today and stay connected to the stories shaping our world.

The affected areas include Nelson Mandela Bay, Amahlathi, Buffalo City, Kouga, Kou-Kamma, Makana, Ndlambe, Ngqushwa, Ray Mhlaba and Sundays River Valley municipalities.

“Ridging in high-pressure system with cut-off low in the upper level of the atmosphere, these two systems will result in cold conditions with snowfall over high lying areas, rainfall across the province with heavy downpours expected in places from Wednesday into Thursday,” the warning reads.

The notice urges residents to remain indoors unless it is not safe to do so.

“Do not cross flooded rivers/areas, especially children. Stay clear of river basins and low-lying areas.

“Listen for regular weather updates via radio and social media. Monitor the weather conditions, and if need be, identify areas to safely store valuable items away.”

Story audio is generated using AI While the ground was still waterlogged from days of heavy rain, strong winds tore through parts of Nelson Mandela Bay and the Garden Route on Monday, uprooting trees, blocking key roads and ripping roofs from buildings. The latest bout of severe weather left a trail of destruction across the region. In Nelson Mandela Bay, gusts reached up to 75km/h on Monday afternoon. Just as residents began picking up the pieces after devastating floods that damaged homes, businesses and personal belongings, fresh adverse weather swept across the province, triggering widespread power outages and compounding the misery of already battered communities. The George municipality was forced to suspend key services for most of the day. It said the municipal court was closed due to the weather, a staff shortage and property damage. Refuse removal was temporarily suspended when several trees fell over and blocked roadways in Heather Park, Heatherlands and Blanco. The George library and George and Wilderness tourism offices were temporarily closed due to the bad weather and associated power outages. The SA Weather Service (SAWS) had issued Orange Level 5 and Yellow Level 2 warnings for the region. In the Central Karoo and Garden Route districts, there were gale-force winds with gusts of up to 100km/h. It was predicted they would drop to about 85km/h on Tuesday. The roofs of several buildings including a church, a motor vehicle business and a construction site blew off. Some schools in the region sent pupils home early, while the Garden Route Mall was evacuated at about noon. Another weather warning was, meanwhile, issued for Nelson Mandela Bay this week, following the recent flooding that displaced thousands of residents. The weather service issued a Level 2 warning for disruptive rains across the Bay, Kouga and Koukamma districts for Tuesday. SAWS said though the impact of this week’s rains would be less severe than last week’s, it could still affect settlements, roads, low-lying areas and bridges. “A cold front is moving over the coastline and can bring precipitation between 20-40mm in places. “This rainfall, on top of high groundwater levels and rivers which are already full, can have some impact.” Residents were advised not to cross flooded rivers and motorists were asked to drive cautiously and keep an ear out for regular updates. “Localised disruptions to traffic and dangerous driving conditions due to slippery roads are possible. “Pooling of water may obscure potholes and cause accidents,” the weather service warned. Weather Guru Garth Sampson said strong winds would persist for at least the next two days. “We can expect the wind to continue until Wednesday evening into the early hours of Thursday. “It will blast through [Monday] and then die down [on Tuesday] morning before slightly picking up again in the day. “Only on Wednesday evening will it begin to dissipate. “With the ground saturated following the recent rains, we can expect trees to be dropping everywhere as their anchoring from the soil is already gone.” Sampson said this referred to pine trees in particular. “It is much worse on the Garden Route today [Monday] but with the recent rains we had in our region, we can expect some damage from wind or rain, or both,” he said. Mandela Bay Development Agency acting chief executive Unathi Peter said the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium had sustained damage due to the high winds and damaging rains. “Engineers have confirmed that the affected area appears to be structurally sound, with the damage limited to one canvas leaf and cable section on the north side of the stadium,” Peter said. “Stadium leadership met early [on Monday] morning to discuss our priority actions. “Our immediate steps are to secure the area and make it as safe as possible, as soon as possible.” The torn canvas would be cut away and neatened and the damaged cable fully secured. “The area will be cordoned off as [we] continue to investigate the speediest resolution to repair the damage.” Peter said the high-performance tensile membrane fabric that made up the canvas sections of the stadium was produced in Japan. “Contingency plans are in place to secure the area and minimise disruptions to stadium bowl events.” Meanwhile, Kariega was particularly hard-hit. The Nelson Mandela Bay municipality said high winds had caused damage to overhead electricity lines supplying various water pump stations in the Kariega and Despatch areas. The Fairbridge, Rosedale and Kamesh reservoirs, as well as the Despatch tower, were without water supply. At the Market-Chase substation, a circuit breaker tripped, resulting in a power outage affecting central Kariega and surrounds. A massive tree fell over in Lower Market Street in Kariega. The Motherwell Main/MWN substation circuit breaker also tripped earlier in the day, causing a power outage in NU11, NU12 and NU13. A domestic worker and single mother from Motherwell had to rush home from work on Monday afternoon after heavy winds caused several window panes in her home to shatter. “We are just trying to fix everything from the floods and now this,” she said through tears. A homeowner in Linaria Avenue, Kariega, said a tree in her yard, which had been there for decades, had been uprooted. She said she had contacted a tree felling company, but the owner said they were too busy with the number of trees that had fallen over. On the R75, a truck travelling between Kariega and Nqweba (formerly Kirkwood) overturned. Another truck lost its cargo container on the Bluewater Bay bridge on the N2. In Draaifontein Road, near the mini market, resident Carina Coetzee said a tree which fell into the road narrowly missed her son who had been travelling a few metres behind. The weather situation was further compounded by the widespread power outages across the city. Areas affected included parts of Blue Horizon Bay, Van Stadens, Motherwell, Kwazakhele, Zwide, New Brighton, Struandale, Bluewater Bay, Greenbushes, Walmer and many other areass. Mayor Babalwa Lobishe met acting city manager Charity Sihunu, chief operating officer Lonwabo Ngoqo, councillors from the Govan Mbeki cluster and electricity and energy officials to address the power outages with urgency. “Our focus is on finding immediate and sustainable solutions to restore stability and ensure residents receive reliable electricity services,” she said. The municipality further cautioned residents, businesses and motorists of the strong winds that continued to pose a high risk. “Disaster management teams, workers from the parks sub-directorate, and emergency services are all on the ground assisting affected residents and rescuing animals,” it said. “Fortunately, no injuries have been reported so far. “These strong winds have already caused disruptions to electricity infrastructure and damage to properties in parts of Nelson Mandela Bay. “Residents are urged to secure loose objects and take all necessary precautions to protect their homes and properties. “Motorists are strongly advised to exercise extreme caution due to sudden strong crosswinds, reduced visibility, fallen trees and possible debris.” Operators of small boats were advised to seek shelter and avoid venturing out to sea. “Following adverse rainy and windy conditions across the Bay last week, municipal teams have been working tirelessly to assist affected communities and reduce further damage caused by flooding. “As part of ongoing mop-up operations, officials are extracting floodwater from affected areas to improve conditions, protect infrastructure and support residents during this challenging time. “The municipality understands the difficulties and disruption caused and remains committed to responding with urgency, compassion and dedicated service delivery. “We thank residents for their patience and co-operation as teams continue working on the ground to restore normality and keep communities safe.” Follow The Herald WhatsApp channel today and stay connected to the stories shaping our world. 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Last month’s torrential downpour displaced more than 3,000 residents and caused millions of rand in damage to infrastructure and various industries.

Weather Guru Garth Sampson said while the incoming storm itself might not be as severe as last month’s occurance, it could still have a big impact on residents and, particularly, farmers.

“One must remember the ground is very soaked from the last rains, and anything will run off it at this point.

“The storm is not as severe, but considering that people and farmers are still suffering, this is really not needed.

“Between 50mm to 150mm of rain is expected to fall over about three days, and under these circumstances that is a lot.”

Story audio is generated using AI The Knysna municipality has warned residents again of a potential Day Zero for water. This is despite recent rains that brought a record rainfall. Knysna has been navigating a water crisis for months, driven by dropping dam levels and dry river extraction points. The municipality has urged residents to use water sparingly, as the Akkerkloof Dam is sitting at 22.3%. Acting municipal manager Boy Manqoba Ngubo said level 4 water restrictions must be strictly followed. “Each household should use no more than 50 litres per person per day. “While this is a small amount, every litre helps protect our town’s water supply and future. “This may help us delay or avoid Day Zero. Inspectors are monitoring compliance. “Excessive or illegal use will result in punitive tariffs, disconnection, and the need to collect water rations from designated points. “Pressure will be reduced, and taps may run dry for hours or days. The water system may be shut down to prevent total collapse. “If Day Zero occurs, residents will need to queue for an allocated 25 litres per person per day, as per the national standard,” he said. “That’s for drinking, washing, and all other needs.” Community Services director Johnny Douglas said the Charlesford pump station was currently operating with two pumps instead of three. “Two additional pumps have been ordered, which will allow the dam to operate at full capacity and provide an extra pump for emergencies,” he said ​According to the Garden Route District Municipality, Knysna recorded its highest rainfall on May 4 and 7, with 286.8mm at Knysna Kleingrysbos and 285.6mm at Knysna Diepwalle. Despite this, the municipality has urged residents to use water responsibly due to ongoing shortages. Douglas said significant rainfall did not eliminate the need for careful water management. Knysna relies on an off-channel dam, and water is currently pumped from the Charlesford station to Akkerkloof using two pumps. He said infrastructure challenges continued to strain the system. “The public is asked to conserve water, especially as some areas, such as Sedgefield, remain without water following the flooding of the purification plant,” he said. Douglas said that with Section 154 activated for a national disaster, the Western Cape government and chief engineers were focusing on infrastructure at Charlesford Pumping, and the department of water and sanitation was launching a project to increase water pipe capacity from the balancing dam, which would improve water supply to the Akkerkloof Dam. Knysna Infrastructure Group chair Eugene Vermaak said two pumps had been installed ahead of the rain, but an Eskom power outage disrupted operations at the Charlesford pump station. The group is a nonprofit organisation that signed a memorandum of understanding with the municipality to help fix water and sanitation infrastructure issues. “Additionally, two pumps were installed just before the storm came. “Trees fell around the station, which also caused a problem. “However, over the weekend, two pumps were installed in the station, and a team is working hard to remove the trees,” Vermaak said.

He noted that the dams are still full.

“Any rain will go straight over the dam walls. Gamtoos and Patensie area is particularly under threat.”

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