Two years ago this month, a single weekend of extreme weather brought parts of the Western Cape to a complete standstill, and the damage it left behind was significant.
how the storm unfoldedHeavy rainfall on 24-25 September 2023 killed at least 11 people.
It also closed more than 200 roads and cut power to over 80,000 people across the province.
SAWS issued a Level 6 warning on 23 September 2023 for parts of the Garden Route District Municipality.
This signalled just how severe the incoming system was expected to be.
Once the rain hit, the impact was immediate and widespread.
Stellenbosch recorded 193mm of rain over the two-day period, while Cape Town recorded 143mm.
Of the 11 confirmed deaths, eight resulted from electrocution in two separate incidents.
Four children died in the Klipfontein informal settlement, and four adults died in Driftsands, after floodwaters damaged illegal electricity connections common in the area.
The remaining three people were killed after being swept away by floodwaters.
Total property damage from the disaster reached an estimated $74.5 million (2023 USD).
Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis offered his condolences at the time, saying: “My heartfelt condolences to the families who have lost loved ones.”
why this one still mattersStorms like this tend to fade from public memory quickly once the immediate crisis passes, roads reopen, power gets restored, and life moves on.
But the scale of disruption here was striking, over 200 roads closed and 80,000-plus residents left without electricity.
It’s a genuine reminder of how quickly a single weekend of bad weather can overwhelm a province’s infrastructure.
It’s worth remembering these events not just as statistics, but as moments that genuinely reshaped people’s lives, some of them permanently.
Do you remember where you were during the September 2023 floods?
Let us know in the comments below…