Washed away? How the Western Cape is racing to rebuild after storms

Western Cape Premier Alan Winde has concluded a four-day disaster assessment tour across some of the areas hardest hit by the severe storms that battered the province earlier this month.

Joined by provincial ministers, disaster management officials, mayors, municipal managers and NGOs, Winde visited several affected towns and infrastructure sites across the West Coast, Cape Winelands, and Overberg regions.

The delegation inspected damage in Malmesbury, Citrusdal, Clanwilliam, Piketberg, Ceres, Worcester and Rawsonville, among others, including key infrastructure such as the Vredendal Bridge, Klawer Bridge and McGregor Bridge.

Infrastructure repairs under way

Winde said the extent of the destruction was severe.

“Despite this, our officials are hard at work repairing damaged infrastructure as quickly as possible. There has been steady progress,” said Winde.

He confirmed that the Vredendal Bridge had reopened to one-way traffic “far ahead of schedule”.

Provincial Infrastructure Minister Tertuis Simmers said restoring access routes and reconnecting isolated communities remained the government’s top priority.

“The McGregor Bridge will be repaired by early June as rock fill and asphalt layers wrap up,” Simmers said.

He added that structural assessments at the Klawer Bridge were underway to determine a temporary pedestrian access date by 29 May, while debris clearance and slope stabilisation work continued on the Cango Caves Road.

“I want to thank residents for their patience and urge all road users to obey road closures for their own safety as our teams work around the clock,” Simmers said.

Electricity restoration continues

Electricity restoration remains a major focus following widespread outages caused by the storms.

Winde said he chairs daily meetings with Eskom’s Western Cape leadership to monitor progress.

According to Eskom, 84% of affected communities had been reconnected by 28 May.

Several areas in the Cape Winelands, Garden Route, Overberg and West Coast are still awaiting restoration, with some communities expected to remain without power until late June and, in the case of Garden of Eden in the Garden Route, until 25 July.

“We fully appreciate and understand the frustrations of residents who have had to endure extended periods of power outages,” Winde said.

“We apologise for any inconvenience and will always endeavour to keep affected communities abreast of developments as we receive updates from Eskom and other stakeholders.”

Calls for climate resilience

Western Cape Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning Anton Bredell linked the increasing severity of storms to climate change.

“While severe winter weather has always formed part of our regional climate; the growing intensity and frequency of these events are increasingly consistent with the global scientific consensus on climate change,” Bredell said.

He said the destruction highlighted the urgent need for climate-resilient infrastructure planning and stronger municipal capacity.

Finance Minister Deidré Baartman said rebuilding damaged infrastructure would require coordinated funding and support across all spheres of government.

“The extent of the damage to infrastructure and communities is significant, and the recovery process will require a coordinated response across all spheres of government,” she said.

Communities praised for support

Winde also praised residents, farmers, businesses, and community organisations for assisting stranded residents and emergency teams during the disaster.

“I am also blown away by how residents, business owners, and farmers have stepped in to help,” he said.

Health and Wellness Minister Mireille Wenger said healthcare workers, NGOs and residents worked together to keep services running during the storms.

Meanwhile, Education Minister David Maynier said schools had resumed operations, and attention would now turn to helping pupils catch up on missed teaching time after storm-related closures.