Violence As Rains Lashes The Western Cape

Previous page 9th July 2008

The widespread flooding in Cape Town has sparked violent reactions among communities, as hundreds of residents along the N2 blockaded the highway to protest at the lack of proper housing.

The widespread flooding has sparked violent reactions among communities in Cape Town, as hundreds of residents along the N2 blockaded the highway to protest at the lack of proper housing.

Police reported that 500 residents of flooded shacks staged a protest on the Mew Way on-ramp of the N2, preventing traffic flow for about two hours on Monday night as they burned tyres in the road, and threw stones at motorists.

Police spokesperson Elliott Sinyangana said on Tuesday morning: "Police responded quickly, managed to negotiate and get the people to disperse."

Officers are monitoring the situation along sections of the N2, but no violence had been reported by 9am.

The city's Disaster Management spokesperson Wilfred Solomons-Johannes said: "The protests on the N2 are about housing issues, and disaster management and other authorities are in the areas providing disaster relief."

The Cape Town Weather Office warned on Tuesday the cold, wet and windy weather is set to continue to wreak havoc until Thursday morning.

The Weather Office has also warned of more flooding in certain areas, and rough seas with waves of more than 5m between Cape Point and Plettenberg Bay on Wednesday.

Gale-force westerly winds are also expected between Cape Point and Plettenberg Bay, while snow may fall overnight in high-lying areas near Ceres.

The flooding sparked calls for areas of the city to be declared a disaster area.

Simon Grindrod, mayoral committee member for Economic Development, Social Development and Tourism, told the Cape Argus this morning: "I've written to the premier asking him to declare a city-wide disaster, so we can access emergency funding.The problem is the NGOs we would otherwise rely on are over-stretched dealing with the xenophobia crisis.

"We need heavy pump machinery, emergency starter kits - the plastic sheeting - and we need sand. We also need to be feeding people on a daily basis. The city is providing what it can, but this is a much bigger problem than people are saying it is.

"I'm also concerned about DIY electrical cables which backyard dwellers are erecting. We need a huge effort to educate people to the dangers of exposed electrical cables in water."

Meanwhile, rockfalls were also reported on De Waal Drive, where work was being done this morning to secure banks above the road, and eastwards from Gordon's Bay on Clarence Drive, where motorists were lucky to escape unscathed.

The Huguenot Tunnel was also closed due to rockfalls.

his article was originally published on page 3 of The Star on July 08, 2008