Weather havoc closes five Western Cape schools

Schools across the country may have opened on Tuesday but five in the Western Cape remained closed due to flooding, inaccessibility to access routes, and damage to buildings.

It was a wet and cold start for Western Cape learners’ third term after several intense cold fronts made landfall over the past weekend and wreaked havoc on the province.

According to the South African Weather Service (Saws), a series of cold fronts are expected to affect the southern parts of South Africa until Friday.

Widespread disruptions and damages

Western Cape MEC for Local Government, Environmental Affairs, and Development Planning Anton Bredell said on Monday that widespread disruptions and damages, including loss of shelter in informal settlements, localised flooding, fallen trees, electricity outages, and road closures due to snow or flooding, were reported.

The places that have been hardest hit by the severe weather are the City of Cape Town, Overberg, Cape Winelands, and West Coast District.

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Five schools closed

The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) said that teaching and learning resumed at the majority of the province’s schools, except for five, which were officially closed.

“The schools were closed as a result of either flooding, inaccessibility to access routes, or damage to the school building,” the department said.

It added that in total, 82 schools have reported damages to schools, and while the majority of the cases are minor, 31 cases are regarded as more serious. This includes schools where roof sheeting was blown off.

“The WCED infrastructure sub-directorate has been assessing the damages and prioritising repair work based on immediate risks and needs. Repair work has already begun on some projects. We appreciate the efforts of the teams, especially under the continuous wet weather conditions,” WCED said.

Schools have also cordoned off areas that were affected by the severe weather, and they are making alternative arrangements where required.

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Schools remain open on Wednesday

The department confirmed that schools will remain open on Wednesday, and individual requests for closure will be considered on a case-by-case basis. This is despite false social media reports on Monday that schools were closed.

WCED said it will continue to engage with Saws and the provincial disaster management committee. 

Western Cape Premier Alan Winde will speak on Wednesday afternoon about the multi-disciplinary, coordinated response to the inclement weather that is affecting parts of the province.