Strong tides and ferocious winds created a tremendous surge over the weekend on the popular tourist beachfront close to Cape Town; in some spots, the water overtopped the dykes and flooded streets and homes.
According to Craig Lambinon, spokesman for the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI), a 92-year-old woman passed away in the heavy weather that started on Saturday.
The water unexpectedly rushed in through the windows of a beachside restaurant in Kalk Bay, a fishing community tucked in an open harbour on the Atlantic, some thirty kilometres from Cape Town.
“I still get goose bumps,” admits Asemahle Daniels, a 26-year-old waitress. Cloth in hand, she takes a break after spending most of Sunday morning mopping up the floor.
On the pier, a handful of curious onlookers watch excitedly as the rollers break against a lighthouse: “You have to see this with your own eyes at least once in your life”, enthuses 44-year-old Yuri Ray.
A rising tide, with an above-average coefficient, can cause “large waves”, Lehlohonolo Thobela, a forecaster at the South African Meteorological Institute, told AFP.
In impressive images widely shared on social networks, the water surging through the streets of several towns near Cape Town washed away bins and parked cars on Saturday.
The National Meteorological Institute has issued a warning for the country’s 3,000 km of coastline until Monday. Emergency services have called for caution and several beaches in the region have been closed.
