South Africa: Residents of Western Cape towns forced to flee homes after dam walls collapse

Residents in Dassenberg, Riverlands and Chatsworth near Malmesbury were left homeless after their homes were flooded when two retention dams in the area burst in the early hours of Thursday, 8 August 2024. The dams are located within the municipal borders of the City of Cape Town. 

According to Anton Bredell, Western Cape Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, who was on site after receiving calls about the flooding, the dam located on the property…