WATCH: Gift of the Givers assist flood ravaged Western Cape

With more than 4 000 people left homeless and about 1 000 homes destroyed after heavy rains caused flooding in the Western Cape over the weekend, humanitarian aid organisation Gift of the Givers says it is trying to assist residents who have been impacted by the severe weather.

Several communities in the Western Cape are facing a severe weather crisis as multiple cold fronts bring freezing weather, disruptive rain and damaging winds with at least five more major cold fronts expected this week.

Watch the floods in the Western Cape

Aid

Gift of the Givers founder Dr Imtiaz Sooliman said teams have been inundated with calls for assistance from communities affected by flooding and strong winds in Western Cape.

“The impact has already been felt from the early hours of Friday morning as ward 99 in Khayelitsha was “taken out” by excessive gale force winds, simultaneously causing mayhem in six informal settlements, damaging 1 000 informal homes and displacing 4 000 residents in icy cold and pouring rain.

“This is only the beginning of several cold fronts expected over a five-day period. Gift of the Givers teams have hit the ground hard, working round the clock, are totally soaked, as they respond to calls of desperation,” said Sooliman.

ALSO READ: Emergency services on high alert as freezing temperatures hit Joburg

Hunger

Sooliman said thousands of learners have also been compromised as the academic year resumes.

“Hunger is the most striking feature wherever our teams have responded with hot meals, blankets, toiletries and baby care packs. Feeding upwards of 15 000 people, providing thousands of blankets, mattresses, meals, bottled water, items of warm clothing and replacement of school uniforms is a mammoth and very expensive exercise requiring resources in the millions for effective and decisive intervention.

“Support from national and provincial government, municipalities, corporates, the public at large and crowd funding platforms are a given to ease the misery of the rising number of those affected,” Sooliman said.

He has advised people who want to contribute to the aid efforts to contact Gift of the Givers.

Johannesburg

Meanwhile, with more weather warnings issued as the cold front makes landfall, the City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Services (EMS) said it will be on high alert during the freezing weather conditions.

The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has warned residents to brace themselves for freezing mornings, with temperatures dropping to -1ºC in Pretoria, -2ºC in Johannesburg and -4ºC in Vereeniging, with maximum temperatures barely reaching 14ºC.

City of Johannesburg EMS spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi said the entity had noted with concern the warning from SAWS of a cold front which is expected to hit most parts of the city from Monday and towards the rest of the week.

ALSO READ: Inquest opened into deaths of four SANDF members