News24 | Cape Town rescuers searching for man believed to have fallen into canal during heavy rains

Western Cape MEC Anton Bredell estimated that more than 150 000 people had been affected by the flooding in parts of Cape Town, the Cape Winelands and the West Coast. (ER Lombard/Gallo Images)

A search is
under way for a person believed to have fallen into a canal in Cape Town.Authorities
have extended their search into the weekend.The city
has been lashed by storms and heavy rain for two weeks.Cape Town
authorities are searching for a person who reportedly fell into a canal in the
Kuils River area amid heavy rains.

According
to City of Cape Town Mayco Member for Safety and Security JP Smith, its Fire
and Rescue swift water rescue team and Law Enforcement’s Marine and
Environmental Unit were dispatched after a person fell into a canal along
Nooiensfontein Road.

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Western
Cape police spokesperson, Captain FC van Wyk, said that Kuils River police had
received a report of a possible drowning at the canal footbridge, close to
Ongegund Street, on Thursday.

“On
arrival, the members were informed by the community that an unknown male
slipped and fell in the canal and was swept away,” he said.

Van Wyk
said police divers had been deployed, but that they had not been able to find a
body.

“[They
withdrew] from the scene due to the water level being too high and the stream
being too strong.”

Search
efforts resumed on Friday and were expected to continue into Saturday, said
Smith.

He added at the time:

Unfortunately, there is no sign yet of the person, and search efforts were called off as it started to get dark. Our law enforcement staff will return to the area in the morning.

The City
has been battered by heavy rain over the last two weeks, resulting in high
water levels in rivers and canals. There has also been widespread flooding that
has affected more than 150 000 people.

Last week,
News24 reported that a man had died after he slipped and fell into a canal
while walking on a pavement near the corner of Range and Stellenbosch arterial
roads in Blackheath. The roads were flooded at the time of the incident.

Rescue
divers retrieved the man’s body from the water.

The SA
Weather Service (SAWS) issued a Yellow Level 2 warning for disruptive rainfall
that extends into Saturday. It also warned that very cold conditions were
expected to continue.

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The weather
could result in flooding, but also exacerbate existing situations like flooded
roadways and settlements, as the soil and waterways in many parts of the city
are completely saturated after the heavy downpours experienced over the past
two weeks.

Charlotte
Powell, of the City’s Disaster Risk Management Centre, said: “Where
impacts are still being experienced, or reported, the City’s Disaster Risk
Management Centre and Informal Settlements Management branch are conducting
joint assessments. Among the areas to have been assessed in the last 24 to 36
hours are Khayelitsha, Gugulethu and Dunoon, as well as of backyard dwellings
in Tafelsig, Uitsig and Heideveld.”

She added
that thousands of flood kits had been distributed to affected communities.

“Humanitarian
relief efforts, facilitated by the City’s NGO partners, are also continuing,
with the provision of hot meals, blankets and personal hygiene packs, amongst
others. We have also started disbursing the items that the public and
corporates have so generously donated.”