Flooding leaves 444 people homeless, critical infrastructure ruined
Desperate residents left without water and electricity
Peter Luhanga
A dam breach has left 444 people vulnerable and homeless, with 14 hospitalised for minor injuries and hypothermia, wreaking havoc on railway infrastructure and eroding the foundations of several homes in Riverlands, just outside Malmesbury.
The breach, which occurred on Thursday 8 August, involved the third dam in a series of four. This triggered the overflow of second and first dams downstream, unleashing extensive flooding that has ravaged the area.
A half-ton pickup bakkie was washed away and now rests precariously against the railway line, half buried in sand. In residential areas, floodwaters washed away soil, damaging state water infrastructure. Homes have suffered severe structural, and in some cases, have been destroyed.
Swartland Municipality, in partnership with the West Coast Disaster Management Centre, various government departments, and non-governmental organisations, is spearheading the humanitarian response.
Swartland municipal spokesperson Mart-Marié Haasbroek said the flood’s impact has left Riverlands and Chatsworth without potable water, as critical infrastructure has been destroyed. Temporary water supplies are being delivered via trucks, with repairs to the water network expected to take approximately eight weeks, barring unforeseen delays.
On Sunday 11 August, residents along Chatsworth Main Road lined up for fresh water from municipal trucks. The residents included those whose homes had not been damaged by the flood, but had their water supply cut off.
Kashiefa Fielies, 35, a mother of five, voiced her frustration: “We haven’t had access to fresh water since Thursday. The trucks have been inconsistent, sometimes skipping areas.”
Fielies, who is a subsistence farmer, is struggling to manage her household amid the crisis.
She collects water using two 25-litre buckets and two smaller containers, trying to sustain her family until the next delivery.
Rachel Abels, 53, lives in the most severely impacted area of Riverlands. Her home, along with neighbouring properties, has been devastated by the floods. Outside her house, the garage bears the marks of the flood’s force, with a state-owned vehicle used by her husband who works for the Department of Agriculture, sunk into the ground. Inside her three-bedroom house the walls are cracked and the house has shifted, leaving her with damaged furniture and a tilting floor. Abels is currently staying at her sister’s unaffected home.
Just a short distance away, her son Carol’s three-bedroom house was also severely damaged. The roof over his patio has been blown off, and erosion has left the foundations dangerously exposed. At 28, Carol had invested nearly R450,000 in building his home.
“I woke up to the sound of rushing water,” said Carol. “When I went outside, I saw water nearly a metre high.”
He said 10 of his neighbours’ homes were severely damaged, with two completely swept away.
Haasbroek said Eskom is making progress on repairs and will soon update residents on the procedures to follow. However, some repairs will be delayed due to infrastructure that was entirely washed away.
She said the Riverlands Community Clinic is set to reopen on Tuesday 13 August, and the Riverlands Primary School is expected to resume classes on Wednesday 14 August.
Zahid Badroodien, the City of Cape Town’s mayco member for water and sanitation, said that while the dams are not under the City’s ownership, Cape Town has provided consulting engineering services. A site investigation was conducted on 8 and 9 August to assess the damage, with a follow-up meeting with the Department of Water and Sanitation and other relevant bodies scheduled for 12 August.