Residents at Riverlands in the Swartland Municipality on the Cape West Coast are evacuating their homes and loved ones to safety again.A resident, Donovan Manual, explains what is happening: “The water is coming, and the water levels is rising. People are standing around. Loaders are trying to catch some people whose still trapped, trying to drive them with the loader over the water. But I think they must do it fast because the water levels are still rising.
The municipality says the National Department of Water and Sanitation specialists on site decided to further lower the dam levels via a newly dug spillway. It says in a statement this has triggered the unexpected fast release of water, following the path it carved last week.Video: Wide-scale flooding in Riverlands: Emily Thomas
The Swartland Municipality says no injuries or deaths have been recorded following the renewed flooding this afternoon. “We’ve had several people being treated for shock this afternoon which is normal, the first event caused a fair amount of trauma and EMS is on site this afternoon treating affected residents in the clinic,” says Municipal spokesperson, Mart-Marie Haasbroek.