Severe weather has battered South Africa's Western and Northern Cape provinces, bringing destructive flooding, road closures, and infrastructure damage. A recent bout of heavy rain from 5–7 May caused more than 300mm of rainfall in some areas, killing one person in Knysna, forcing over 2,000 people into emergency shelters, and triggering evacuations in the Gamtoos Valley after the Kouga Dam exceeded capacity. A further 200–300mm of rainfall is forecast for the region through mid-week, with the South African Weather Service warning of flash floods, mudslides, rockfalls, and wind gusts exceeding 97km/h — raising fears of renewed disruption to already vulnerable communities.