The Western Cape Government is strengthening its financial response to the damage caused by a series of severe weather events that hit the province in May 2026, with total losses estimated at R9.979 billion.
Western Cape Premier Alan Winde chaired a provincial Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, where Cabinet received an update on the ongoing recovery and repair efforts.
The scale of the damage means the cost of rebuilding and restoring infrastructure is expected to exceed the province’s current financial capacity. Provincial departments will therefore need to reprioritise their budgets to ensure critical recovery work continues.
The Western Cape Department of Local Government has submitted a funding application to the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), through the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC), for financial assistance to address the shortfall in funding for essential infrastructure repairs and restoration.
The provincial government has also asked for its funding application to be considered by the relevant National Treasury Committee under national provisions for unforeseeable and unavoidable expenditure.
In the meantime, Cabinet has approved R480 million in financial commitments to various provincial departments from the province’s 2026/27 Unforeseen and Unavoidable Reserve.
Premier Winde said the province could not afford to wait for national disaster relief processes to be finalised before taking action.
“As a province we cannot wait for lengthy disaster relief processes from National Government to be finalised. We must act decisively. We have excellent financial management mechanisms in place and a contingency reserve which we now have to exhaust because our economy and communities cannot be held ransom by damaged infrastructure.”
The R480 million allocation will allow provincial departments to intensify their response and recovery efforts while the Western Cape awaits confirmation of additional funding from the NDMC.
Winde said the province would continue prioritising interventions aimed at restoring essential services and repairing damaged public infrastructure.
“The magnitude of this disaster requires us to work even harder to secure every available rand needed to rebuild damaged infrastructure and support affected communities. The financial impact extends across multiple departments, which adds urgency to our response. We are committed to doing everything possible to ensure that recovery efforts continue without delay.”
Cabinet also committed to ensuring that the recovery funding process is managed transparently and responsibly.
Winde warned that the increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events, driven in part by a changing climate, means government must place greater emphasis on disaster prevention and risk reduction.
“We cannot only respond after disaster strikes. We must also do more to reduce the risks before these events happen.”
Preventative measures will include accelerating the cutting and maintenance of firebreaks, clearing invasive alien vegetation from waterways and water bodies, upgrading stormwater systems and strengthening the maintenance of critical infrastructure.
The Western Cape Government says these measures are essential to building greater resilience and reducing the impact of future extreme weather events on communities and infrastructure.