The Western Cape Government says it is facing a multi-billion-rand recovery bill following the devastating weather systems that battered the province in May, with preliminary estimates placing the cost of the damage at more than R9 billion.

The extent of the destruction was discussed during a Special Western Cape Government Cabinet meeting chaired by Premier Alan Winde on Thursday. The meeting focused on assessing the impact of the consecutive severe weather events that claimed lives, damaged infrastructure and disrupted communities across the province.

Cabinet noted that the estimated cost of damage currently stands at over R9 billion, although the figures remain preliminary and subject to verification. The agriculture sector suffered the heaviest losses of more than R5.2 billion, while damage to transport infrastructure has been estimated at just under R2 billion.

Winde said the scale of the destruction far exceeds the province’s available resources and will require financial assistance from national government.

“Our province has had to endure many disasters. But the last two weather events were the worst in recent memory. While our government and other stakeholders have been working incredibly hard in responding to this disaster, we have a lot of hard work still ahead of us. The scale of the damage exceeds provincial departments’ budgets and delivery capacity. Additional funding will have to be sought from national government,” the Premier said.

The storms affected more than 231,000 people, damaged nearly 23,000 homes and impacted more than 230 roads across the province. Eleven fatalities were reported, while one person remains missing.

While electricity restoration efforts continue, some communities in the worst-affected areas are still without power. Eskom has restored supply to approximately 95% of affected areas.

Winde acknowledged that difficult budget decisions lie ahead as the province seeks to fund recovery and rebuilding efforts.

“Incredibly difficult decisions will have to be made going forward. National government will not be able to provide us with all the necessary funding. The Western Cape Government’s budget will have to be reprioritised to fund damage repairs,” Winde said.

The Premier added that rebuilding efforts must focus on strengthening infrastructure against future climate-related disasters, even though this would come at a higher cost.

“What is vitally important is that we must build back stronger, in anticipation of future climate-related disasters and this will cost more. We must, therefore, impress upon national government and other entities the need to budget differently to adequately respond to the impact of such disasters,” Winde said.

The Western Cape Government is now preparing submissions to national authorities, including the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs and the National Disaster Management Centre, as it seeks additional funding to support recovery efforts.