The Western Cape needs more than R9 billion to repair damage caused by severe weather that hit the province in May 2026.
Premier Alan Winde said the repair bill currently stands at R9 099 211 941 after major weather events battered several communities in a short period.
The damage has placed serious pressure on the province’s budget and its ability to rebuild quickly.
Winde chaired a provincial cabinet meeting last Thursday to assess the scale of the disaster and the work still needed. The storms claimed lives, damaged key infrastructure and disrupted thousands of residents.
Homes, Roads and Communities Hit Hard
The Western Cape government said 231 029 people were affected by the severe weather.
A total of 22 890 houses were damaged. More than 230 roads were also affected, with many roads and other pieces of infrastructure needing major repairs or full reconstruction.
Officials also reported 11 fatalities, while one person remained missing.
Winde said the last two weather events were the worst the province had seen in recent memory.
He said the provincial government and other stakeholders had worked hard in response to the disaster, but warned that a long recovery still lies ahead.
Agriculture and Transport Take Major Losses
The agriculture sector took the biggest financial hit, with damage estimated at more than R5.2 billion.
Transport infrastructure damage is currently estimated at just under R2 billion.
The province also said Eskom had made progress in reconnecting affected areas. Around 95% of areas that lost electricity had power restored.
However, residents in some of the hardest-hit areas were still without electricity.
Province Says National Funding is Needed
The Western Cape cabinet said the cost and scale of the damage exceed the budgets and delivery capacity of provincial departments.
Winde said difficult decisions would need to be made.
He warned that national government would not be able to provide all the funding needed. This means the Western Cape government’s budget will have to be reprioritised to pay for repairs.
Winde also said rebuilding must focus on stronger infrastructure that can better withstand future climate-related disasters.
He said government must start budgeting differently to respond to disasters of this scale.
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