Western Cape storms cause days‑long power outages and trigger food‑safety alerts

Heavy storms across South Africa's Western Cape have left large parts of the Garden Route district and the Overstrand Municipality without electricity for hours to several days. Eskom crews are clearing debris and repairing damaged 11 kV lines, but some areas—such as Pringle Bay, Betty's Bay, Stanford farms and the Hemel‑en‑Aarde Valley—remain without power, with no estimated restoration time. Residents are urged to keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed, use coolers with ice packs for perishable items, and discard any high‑risk foods that have been above safe temperatures for more than two hours. Safe‑water advice includes boiling water or using hand sanitizer when clean water is limited, and maintaining strict kitchen hygiene.

Municipal health officials in the Garden Route provided contact details for further guidance, and community members were asked not to interfere with repair crews. The combined response highlights both infrastructure challenges and public‑health precautions needed during prolonged outages.