11 dead and 83,184 affected as Cape Town calls for urgent donations

The City of Cape Town is urgently appealing to the public for donations to assist residents impacted by recent extreme weather that has resulted in several fatalities. The Western Cape Government announced that the death toll reached 11 this week, with many victims dying as a result of storm-related incidents, including falling trees and floods.

13 May 2026

Image credit: City of Cape Town/X

In a statement on Twitter/X, the city’s disaster risk management spokesperson, Charlotte Powell, said completed assessments indicate that 83,184 people living in 21,546 dwellings across the Western Cape have been impacted by storms that ravaged the province over the past few days.

"While the worst of the adverse conditions are behind us, the recovery efforts will continue for several days or more," said Powell.

"We ask communities to please pay special attention to vulnerable households in their areas and to render assistance where possible, or help them access help through the appropriate channels."

The City of Cape Town is attending to multiple incidents related to the storm raging across Cape Town. Image credit

Western Cape battles storm as govt declares a national disaster

11 May 2026

Powell indicated that several NGOs, including Ashraful Aid, Gift of the Givers, Islamic Relief and Mustadaffin, were providing hot meals and blankets.

Furthermore, the Department of Social Development and the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) have also assisted.

EWN reports that Pick n Pay is also running a donation drive for non-perishable food, clothes and blankets to help flood victims at all of its Western Cape stores.

The city has requested urgent assistance from the public in providing several items, including non-perishable foodstuffs, personal hygiene items, nappies and baby formula, as well as blankets and bedding.