Drakenstein Municipality’s emergency services and disaster management teams remain on high alert and continue to respond to incidents arising from the heavy rainfall and strong winds experienced in the area from Sunday and throughout Tuesday.
During this period, Paarl received 188 mm of rainfall and Wellington 159 mm, with significant rainfall also recorded in key catchment areas. Residents are urged to stay away from rivers and low-lying waterways. The Municipality’s Disaster Management Plan remains fully activated and municipal teams, together with key partners, are deployed across the municipal area to ensure the safety of residents. Response measures include the temporary relocation of families affected by severe flooding, the clearing of uprooted trees, debris and stormwater channels, and the restoration of the electricity supply in affected areas. Reports of localised flooding are also being attended to. Commenting on the situation, Councillor Stephen Korabie, Executive Mayor of Drakenstein Municipality, said: “Our teams have been working tirelessly under difficult conditions to keep our communities safe and we will remain vigilant as the weather system continues. Our main focus is to attend to situations where people’s lives are endangered, to keep the roads and stormwater channels open, to keep the electricity and traffic lights on, and to ensure access to clean water.“We ask our residents to please take responsibility for their own properties. Our teams have been working through the night and cannot attend to individual requests. We trust our residents will understand this and support the Municipality as we remain committed to ensuring that basic services are delivered to the broader Drakenstein community,” he said.Since Sunday, the Municipality has evacuated a total of 241 residents, who are being temporarily accommodated in community halls, where they are being provided with hot meals, blankets and dignity kits. Drakenstein Municipality has also activated a number of its soup kitchens to support ongoing relief efforts. Humanitarian organisations, including Gift of the Givers and the Al-Imdaad Foundation, as well as the Western Cape Department of Social Development, are assisting with the response and provision of humanitarian aid. Drakenstein Municipality is closely monitoring the canal that feeds into the Klein Berg River in Gouda. As a precautionary measure, 160 people living nearby have been temporarily relocated and the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) has been dispatched to evacuate more families stranded by rising waters. A group of 81 residents from the Thembani informal settlement in Drommedaris Street, Mbekweni, have been evacuated due to flooding and temporarily moved to the Mbekweni Community Hall. All temporary relocations followed full assessments together with the particular areas’ ward councillors. Storm damage has been widespread. Twenty-eight trees have been cleared by the Municipality; a roof in Paarl East was damaged and will be repaired, while several clinics are relying on generators as a result of electricity outages which the Municipality’s Electro-Technical Engineering teams are attending to.
All municipal teams remain actively engaged, with river levels under continuous monitoring.
In Wellington, municipal teams are assisting local farmers with the controlled release of water from a farm dam to ease pressure on the dam wall. In Gouda, the levels of the Klein Berg River remain high, while the Berg River in Paarl rose sharply earlier. The Municipality is monitoring this situation closely.Localised flooding
Localised flooding has been reported at several properties in Paarl, as well as in Wellington, Newton and Simondium. By 19:30 last night (11 May 2026), municipal teams had responded to 164 flooding incidents. Some of Drakenstein Municipality’s rental stock and sports fields are affected by flooding, but all essential municipal infrastructure is intact. The Roads, Stormwater and Traffic Engineering division also attended to and opened several blockages in the stormwater system. Electricity disruptions
Drakenstein Municipality’s Electro‑Technical Engineering teams are attending to a power outage in Simondium, Klapmuts Road and surrounding farms (Ward 1). The Municipality thanks residents for their patience and understanding while teams work to restore services as safely and quickly as possible.Safety reminder
Residents are urged to:- Remain alert and avoid unnecessary travel during adverse weather conditions;
- Check roofs for leaks or loose tiles;
- Stay away from flooded roads and fast‑flowing water; and
- Ensure essential devices are charged in case of power outages.
