The Western Cape storm death toll has now risen to at least ten following days of severe weather, flooding and dangerous conditions across the province.

The Provincial Health Department confirmed a tenth death in a statement on Tuesday afternoon. It occurred in the Hermanus area, but details are unclear.

It comes after the bodies of three people were recovered during a mass rescue operation on a farm between Worcester and Rawsonville on Tuesday morning.

The National Sea Rescue Institute says teams were called out to a farm near the old N1 roadway, where they found 23 people, including children and babies, on the roofs of farm buildings. It is believed they had been trapped there since Monday.

The Department earlier confirmed six other weather-related deaths in the Western Cape since severe storms and flooding began last week.

Provincial health authorities say four people died after trees fell on them in Knysna, Kenilworth, George and Genadendal.

In the first recorded death, Knysna auxiliary social worker Lauren Fredericks died on 6 May, as she was on her way to conduct assessments of residents who were evacuated due to the adverse weather conditions in the Garden Route area. Shortly after stopping, a tree fell on her car.

In the second reported incident, early on Monday morning, 11 May, amid two Orange Level 8 cold fronts sweeping through the City of Cape Town, a person died after a tree fell onto a vehicle in Tennant Road in the Kenilworth/Wynberg area.

The woman who passed away was a passenger in an e-hailing vehicle. The driver escaped without injuries but was taken to the hospital for precautionary checks.

Later on Monday, Southern Cape police confirmed a 63-year-old woman died in Blanco, George, after a tree fell onto her vehicle in Montagu Street.

Police say she had arrived at her workplace and was parking when the incident occurred. She was reportedly an employee at Fancourt.

Another person died in Worcester after reportedly falling off a roof, while a fatality was reported in Genadendal when a tree fell over.

In Meiringspoort near Klaarstroom, a person is believed to have drowned amid the flooding over the weekend.

Local Government MEC Anton Bredell has extended his sincere condolences to the families, loved ones, and communities affected by these tragic losses.

“We also extend our deepest appreciation to the emergency, rescue, healthcare, disaster management, law enforcement, and municipal teams who continue to respond under extremely difficult conditions. Their efforts are saving lives, supporting affected communities, and helping to keep essential services going during this difficult period.”

The severe weather has caused extensive damage to infrastructure and roads, affecting over 80,000 people in Cape Town alone.

It comes as numerous people are still believed to be cut off by rising floodwaters, especially in rural areas in the Cape Winelands District Municipality, with multiple rescue operations underway.

*This article has been updated since it was first published.

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Communities in the Cape Winelands District Municipality (CWDM) are experiencing severe impacts from the flooding over the past few days, with many people still thought to be cut off by rising flood waters.

Following a Joint Operations Centre (JOC) meeting this morning, it was established that water levels in the Breede and other rivers continue to rise downstream, leaving many people at risk. The Breede, Berg, and Kleinberg Rivers are currently causing the most concern.

The areas worst affected are (in order): Witzenberg, Breede Valley, Drakenstein, Langeberg, and then Stellenbosch.

There are currently over 2,200 affected people being housed in community and church halls across the district. The most affected area is Worcester, where close to 1,900 people have been evacuated.

The entire Silverstrand area outside Robertson, located along the Breede River, was evacuated yesterday (Tuesday).

A major rescue operation is underway in Gouda, where eight families became trapped by rising floodwaters along the Kleinberg River. Authorities say 49 people, including men, women and children, are being evacuated after the river rose rapidly earlier today.

The NSRI says multiple rescue teams remain active across the Western Cape.

Another big rescue operation took place near Rawsonville, where farmworkers and their families were rescued from rooftops after becoming trapped by rising floodwaters. Three people sadly died in flooding-related incidents at the scene.

The Municipality’s Jo-Anne Otto says a reconnaissance flight will be conducted today (13 May) to establish the extent of people who may be cut off, as well as the full impact of the damage.

Due to access challenges, humanitarian relief has been difficult in some areas.

“Where possible, the Department of Social Development (DSD), Gift of the Givers, and the Salvation Army have been supplying mattresses, blankets, hot meals, hygiene items, and dignity packs to affected residents.”

Otto says local soup kitchens and benevolent organisations are assisting, but the need is significant, and supplies are constrained due to limited access.

She says a further 250 trucks are currently stuck on the N1 between the De Wet turn-off and the weighbridge in the direction of Cape Town. An additional 22 buses are parked at the Ultra City on the N1, where resources have been depleted.

The N1 and both tunnels remain closed due to multiple storm-related incidents, including mudslides and an overflowing river.

The leadership of the political party, ActionSA, were at the Bela Bela police station in Limpopo on Wednesday, where they opened a criminal case against President Cyril Ramaphosa.  

The party National Chairperson, Michael Beaumont and Parliamentary Chief Whip, Lerato Ngobeni, are among those at the police stations. The party’s supporters were also present, picketing outside the station.  

The docket they want to open includes charges of perjury, fraud and contravention of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act. This party accuses the president of “deliberately not disclosing… the true amount of money stolen from his Phala Phala farm in February 2020.” 

“Information coming from the NPA (National Prosecuting Authority) has revealed that the amount of money stolen is actually exceeding R15 million, despite only R8 million being reported. This is a serious criminal offence,” said Beaumont outside the Bela Bela police station on Wednesday. 

Today, we are at the Bela-Bela Police Station to file criminal charges against President Ramaphosa over the Phala Phala scandal.

The charges include violations of PRECCA, as well as perjury and fraud arising from false declarations regarding the amount of money stolen. pic.twitter.com/Y74qRrvzyl

— ActionSA (@Action4SA) May 13, 2026

The Phala Phala has recently made headlines again, after the Constitutional Court last week ordered that the independent panel’s report on the matter be referred to an impeachment committee. This is because it was found to be unconstitutional for the National Assembly to decide not to refer the matter in 2022.  

ALSO READ: Ramaphosa to challenge Phala Phala report in court, says he will not resign – Smile 90.4FM

Further to this, the National Assembly Speaker, Thoko Didiza, on Monday announced the process Parliament will follow. This will include formally tabling the report, providing a copy to the president, establishing an impeachment committee in line with National Assembly rules, and referring the panel report to that committee.  

The Speaker will also refer the judgment for amendments to Assembly rules and oversee the timelines and arrangements for the committee’s work. Parliament Spokesperson, Mr Moloto Mothapo, sheds more light on this in the video below:

READ MORE:  Speaker Determines the Process To Be Followed by the National Assembly Following the Constitutional Court Judgment

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The inclement weather has helped to fill our dams. The recent storms that lashed parts of the Western Cape over the past few days have contributed to rising dam levels. At the same time, it brought destruction and devastation and wreaked havoc. Over 80 000 people were affected in the City of Cape Town alone.

“We have received reports of people who got into trouble when trying to cross water sources, and we are concerned as the Department,”  added Ntombizanele Bila-Mupariwa.

 

The inclement weather has helped to fill our dams

The Provincial Government also confirmed 6 deaths due to weather-related incidents. In addition, this morning, it was reported that the bodies of three farmworkers were recovered during a mass rescue operation on a farm between Worcester and Rawsonville. According to the National Sea Rescue Institute, its teams were called out to a farm near the old N1 roadway yesterday morning (Tuesday). Crews found 23 people on the roofs of farm buildings. Furthermore, it’s believed that they had been trapped there since Monday, due to flooding. The NSRI’s Craig Lambinon added that most of the farmworkers and their families, including young children, were safely evacuated during a rescue operation.

“We call upon the citizens who live in or use areas closer to our water sources to always adhere to warnings by the authorities,” added Ntombizanele Bila-Mupariwa.

 

Provincial water storage levels show improvement

Meanwhile, the head of the Western Cape Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), Ntombizanele Bila-Mupariwa, said there was a major increase observed in the Breede-Gouritz Water Catchment Area. Most dams in this catchment area have reached full capacity. The Gouritz River Catchment is now at 88,84%.

She says most of the dams in the Gouritz River Catchment area, such as Leeu-Gamka, Oukloof, Gamkadam, Gamkapoort, Kammanassie, Duiwenhoks, Mierjieskraal, Ernest Robertson and Stomdrift dams, are on or above 100%. Bila-Mupariwa added that those still above 100% will continue to spill until the levels decrease to 100%.

“During periods of severe weather warnings, this system is monitored on a 24-hour basis.”

The Gouritz River Catchment is now at 88,84%

According to a media statement, the latest weekly dam levels report shows that provincial dams have increased by 7,54%, from 44,94% to 52,46% this week. It further indicates that the Cape Town Water Supply System also saw an increase from last week’s 47,78 to 50,48% this week. This is an upward movement of 2,7%.

At the same time, it’s being reported that the Theewaterskloof Dam saw a rise of over 2% from last week’s 47,31 to 49,47% this week. This dam is the largest in the Cape Town Water Supply System.

“She said her department would continue providing near real-time information on dam and river levels.”

Dam levels: The Theewaterskloof Dam

Bila-Mupariwa has meanwhile called for caution in the Garden Route and Central Karoo districts. The recent severe weather conditions devastated the region and filled some dams to the brim. This resulted in flash floods in some areas. She added that the levels of domestic and agricultural dams have increased due to these storms. This could alleviate the water scarcity challenges within the Southern Cape region.

Bila-Mupariwa has re-emphasised her previous call for citizens who reside close to water sources such as rivers, dams and estuaries to be vigilant during this period of adverse weather.

Bila-Mupariwa says the Department will continue to monitor dam levels in all the catchment areas. She concluded that despite the heavy rains, the Department is still asking residents to continue using water sparingly.