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23 June 2023

Impact of floods caused by heavy rains at Table Mountain National Park

Cape Town – Following the recent heavy rains in Cape Town, South African National Parks (SANParks) can confirm that Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) was severely impacted by the floods in most areas of the park including the park’s infrastructure and natural vegetation. According to the South African Weather Services (SAWS), a significant amount of rainfall was recorded in the past week within the City of Cape Town Metropolitan area and Table Mountain National Park was no exception as it is a park that falls within the city.

TMNP Manager, Ms. Megan Taplin said “We are grateful for the rain that is filling up dams. The natural vegetation thrives beautifully during the rainy season but this year the park has been severely affected by the floods and causing a lot of infrastructure damage, especially to the hiking trails, and posing danger to the park users due to landslides, road verge erosion, and sinkholes. The park is still conducting assessments on the extent of the damage and regularly updating the alerts to park users of the dangerous areas they need to avoid until further notice. The estimated damage to the infrastructure is still yet to be determined as there are new reports of infrastructure damage on a daily basis.”

The following areas have been affected by the recent floods and we urge the park users to exercise caution or avoid the mountain trails where slippery, wet, and muddy conditions persist to avoid having accidents and requiring rescue. Affected areas includes:

  • Newlands Forest – eroded trails and fallen trees/branches.
  • Tokai – Level 5 cycling trail in Upper Tokai closed due to landslides, boulders, and debris in the road. The area is currently inaccessible for cyclists and vehicles.
  • Rhodes Memorial – Tar road lifted, fallen trees, mass amounts of debris in the road, and eroded trails. The road is closed until further notice.
  • Schusterskraal Boardwalk (Scarborough) closed pending repairs as a result of erosion underneath the boardwalk.
  • Landslide on Tafelberg Jeep track and lots of rock fall on the tar road..
  • Landslide along Constantia Nek hiking trail leading up to the dam area.
  • Sink hole and a fallen tree in Deer Park.
  • Landslides discovered along Camps Bay Pipe Track
  • Ouwa Pad in Silvermine closed.
  • Landslide off the hiking trail to the Admiral’s Waterfall in Simonstown.
  • Road verge erosion discovered in Silvermine East Management track.

Ms. Taplin concluded, “The intensive work to repair the infrastructure damage will be carried out once the weather conditions become more favorable. In the meantime, some repair work is being carried out by park rangers and volunteers. The winter rains have been predicted for the duration of the season and the park will continue to ensure the safety of the users and will keep them informed of any new developments. At this stage, our tourism facilities are not affected by the floods and guests are still welcome to visit the park or contact us on 021 712 0527 for more information.”

Enquiries:
Lauren Howard Clayton
SANParks Regional Communications Manager: Cape Region
Cell: 071 115 5843 Or Email: [email protected]

Babalwa Dlangamandla
Public Relations Officer: Table Mountain National Park
Cell: 071 115 5843 or Email: [email protected]