In photos: Cape Town’s tempest

At least five dead, and many lose their homes

Photo of wave crashing onto promenade

Waves splashed over the Sea Point and Three Anchor Bay promenade on Wednesday. Photo: Ashraf Hendricks

By GroundUp Staff and Mandla Mnyakama

8 June 2017

The City of Cape Town reports that there have been five deaths caused by the storm that has struck the city in the past 24 hours (see Dozens of Hout Bay homes severely damaged in Cape storm). Ashraf Hendricks photographed the Sea Point and Camps Bay beachfronts, and Mandla Mnyakama photographed Gugulethu’s Europa informal settlement.

The crazy weather inspired even crazier selfies. Photo: Ashraf Hendricks
A boy runs away from an approaching wave. Photo: Ashraf Hendricks
A man collected his long board that was locked up in storage at Three Anchor Bay. The waves broke the storage facility open. Photo: Ashraf Hendricks
Cars covered in sea foam. Photo: Ashraf Hendricks
The waves inspired people to play on the promenade. Photo: Ashraf Hendricks
Waves crash onto people. Police eventually escorted people away as it became too dangerous. Photo: Ashraf Hendricks
Seaweed washed up onto the Camps Bay beachfront. Photo: Ashraf Hendricks
The storm broke a wall of this building. The building flooded too. Photo: Ashraf Hendricks

While the Atlantic coast beach fronts were spectacular, as far as we are aware no one in Sea Point or Camps Bay was injured or lost their homes because of the storm. The situation was less spectacular but far worse on the Cape Flats.

Access paths turned into watery canals during the storm in Europa informal settlement. Photo: Mandla Mnyakama
A woman deftly navigates her way across a flooded pathway. Photo: Mandla Mnyakama