Cape Town's combined dam level have dropped another 0.7% over the previous week, the latest report from the City revealed. Issued on Monday, the report also suggests that dam levels currently stand at 73.4%, a little over 2% lower than 2018's high water mark. It's a far cry from where we were in November 2017 though, when dams were just 37% full. A year before that they stood at 58%. Cape Town dam levels as of 12 November 2018 So, how are individual dams doing? Theewaterskloof Dam: was 57.1%, down by 0.3%, now 57.1% Voelvlei Dam:was 95.5%, down by 1.6%, now 93.9% Berg...
Cape Town's dam levels dropped 0.6% this past week, according to the latest report by the City. Overall, dam levels remain just below three-quarters full, at 74.1%. The decrease comes despite rainfall in the final week of October. The Wemmershoek Dam, which received around 15mm of rain last week, fell from 92.1% full, to 91.2%. The Theewaterskloof Dam dropped from 58% full, to 57.4%. The Voelvlei Dam fell from 96.2% to 95.5%. The Steenbras Lower Dam dropped from 86.9% full, to 85.1%. Steenbras Lower Dam is now 71.2% full, falling from 73%. The Berg River Dam gained 0.1%, and is now...
After a week of extremely hot weather, Cape Town's overall water consumption has spiked to a new high, while its dam levels have dropped. According to the City's Dam Report published on Monday, the city's reserves lost 0.9% of their combined storage. The dams now sit at 74.8% full. The Berg River Dam suffered the least, dropping just 0.1% from 99.3% to 99.2%. Its neighbour, the Wemmershoek Dam, decreased by 0.9%, and now holds 92.1% of its designed storage capacity. The Voëlvlei Dam is 96.2% full, dropping 0.5% over the previous week. And the Steenbras Lower and Upper dams decreased by 0.4% and 8.5%...
After months of rain, it seems that Cape Town has jumped from the depths of winter straight into the clay oven of summer. The city this week is pretty damn hot. Actually, that itself is probably a bit of an understatement. On Monday, the mercury in the Mother City topped the mid-30s. Tuesday was just as bad. Wednesday, I'm writing this sprawled across the floor, largely melted. The hot weather is also expected to last through the weekend, making many Capetonians question if it's worth braving the surface of Crematoria. "Can this Cape Town weather please protect me from itself?!" one user wrote. 6am...
As the MyCiTi Bus strike continues into its fourth day, the company has made an official statement on behalf of the City of Cape Town, announcing that it's seeking an interdict from the Western Cape High Court. “The City of Cape Town will, within the next few hours, apply for an urgent court interdict to protect MyCiTi personnel, passengers, and assets against those participating in an unprotected strike that has turned violent,” said the statement, which was posted on Facebook. According to the post, Wednesday’s protests saw two female bus drivers held hostage, buses stoned, and bus keys stolen to prevent...
Update, Tuesday 10am: The "wildcat" MyCiti bus strike continues into its second day, affecting a vast swathe of Cape Town. There are however more lines currently operating today than on Monday, when strike action began. "The following services are currently operating on routes: T02, X02, D01, D02, D03, D04, 232, 233, 234, 236 and 237," Cape Town's MyCiti bus service tweeted early on Tuesday. Update: #MyCiTiAlert: The following services are currently operating on routes: T02, X02, D01, D02, D03, D04, 232, 233, 234, 236 and 237. Updates to follow — MYCITI bus (@MyCiTiBus) 16 October 2018 As of 6am on Tuesday, a slew of...
For the first time this side of winter, Cape Town's dam levels have dropped. But it's not yet a cause for concern. Collectively, the City's six largest reservoirs still hold 76% of their total capacity, losing just 0.2% over the high water mark set the previous week. Some dams added to their reserves too, according to the City's latest report. As of Monday afternoon, the Voelvlei Dam was 96.6% full, gaining 0.4% over the previous week. This comes despite no rain recorded over the dam since the month began. The Berg River Dam also gained 0.1%, and is just 0.5% shy of its...
As the City of Cape Town relaxed water restrictions, and a wetter than normal September draws to an end, the city's dam levels have breached the three-quarter mark for the first time this year. Collectively, Cape Town's dams now hold 75.9% of their total capacity, increasing by 1.9% during the previous week. The Berg River Dam is again over the 100% full mark. The Voëlvlei Dam gained 4.6%, and is now just 5% of its total capacity, while the Wemmershoek too is at 95.8% full. The Steenbras Lower and Upper dams are both above the 91% mark, while the Theewaterskloof Dam gained 2%...
A train at Cape Town Station is reportedly on fire, according to a number of eyewitness reports. Twitter users on Friday afternoon uploaded pictures showing plumes of black smoke rising from within the station precinct. #capetown @CapeTownTrains on fire, again #trainfire #fixourtrains pic.twitter.com/GGtEkwiN4I — Jodi Allemeier (@urbanjodi) September 28, 2018 @CapeTownTrains trains burning on Cape Town Station? pic.twitter.com/0dhVzVyale — Amgelica_Davids (@That_Amgelica) September 28, 2018 @CapeTownTrains train on fire 🔥 pic.twitter.com/k4s2IDt2wE — Shane Arm (@arm_armshane) September 28, 2018 Train set alight at the Cape Town Station. So irritating when people destroy public services pic.twitter.com/LALwBlxwQF — Scott Ortlepp (@SOrtlepp) September 28, 2018 Some reported scenes from within the station itself, suggesting...
According to the City of Cape Town's latest dam report published on Tuesday, the city's supply reservoirs are now a combined 74% full. That's an overall increase of 4% over the previous week. At present, five of the six large dams that supply Cape Town with water are above the 90% full mark. This includes two of the city's three largest dams, the Voëlvlei and Berg River. The latter last week breached the 100% full mark, but its waters have subsided to 99.9% according to this week's report. The Voëlvlei smashed past the 90% barrier this week, gaining 7.7% over the...
Communities across Cape Town's gang-ridden areas are today shutting down their suburbs. Residents of Bonteheuvel, Kensington and Manenberg -- suburbs on Cape Town's Cape Flats -- on Tuesday engaged in protests against gangsterism and gang-related violence. More than 808 of the recorded 973 gang-related murders in South Africa occurred in the Western Cape between April 2017 and March 2018. Calling for intervention from law enforcement and police, #cptshutdown and #wcshutdown began trending on Twitter early Tuesday morning as residents took to the streets. Protesters were met with tear gas and stun grenades. This video of police firing tear gas into a crowd of protesters...
Cape Town's third largest and youngest dam, the Berg River Dam, is the first of the city's large dams to hit the 100% mark. After a week of cold weather and rain, the dam gained 2.8% putting it over its specified capacity of 130 000 megalitres. It now joins its northerly Western Cape neighbour, the Clanwilliam Dam, in breaching the 100% mark this week. Interestingly, based on percentage of capacity, the Misverstrand Dam is currently the Western Cape's most bountiful dam, holding 113.6% of its designed capacity. It's commonly used for water sport and recreation. View this post on Instagram So awesome to see...
The Clanwilliam Dam, north of Cape Town, is an unlikely social media star this week, after the reservoir's sluice gates were opened and dramatic videos were the result. The dam, which holds 121 000 megalitres used for irrigation, was 99.4% full as of 17 September according to the Western Cape Government. However, it's likely that recent rains have pushed the dam's level beyond the 100% mark, because it's now releasing water back into the Olifants River. Videos and pictures on Twitter and Instagram have been posted of the dam's improved state this week. For comparison, it was just 38.4% in September 2017. This video...
It's official: Cape Town's next mayor will be former mayor Dan Plato, the DA confirmed on Tuesday. He will take over the reins from outgoing mayor Patricia De Lille from 1 November. This week the party also announced that Alan Winde will be the DA's candidate for Premier of the Western Cape, and confirmed that Mmusi Maimane -- who was running against Winde -- will remain the party leader. But while Winde is active on social media, De Lille boasts a big online following, and Maimane has an undoubted and established presence on Twitter, Dan Plato is the outlier. His personal...
Well, here's something you don't see often, let alone in September. On Wednesday morning, the Table Mountain Cableway on Instagram reported that snow had begun falling at the Upper Station near the mountain's summit. A video was also included for non-believers, and those experiencing immense FOMO. "Christmas has come early at the #Cableway ... it's 2 degrees at the summit of #tablemountain and it's snowing," the company wrote in the post, published around 11am Wednesday. View this post on Instagram Christmas has come early at the #Cableway ... it's 2 degrees at the summit of #tablemountain and it's snowing 😎 A post shared by...
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