Cape storm: Badly decomposed body recovered as City of Cape Town officials respond to a blocked drain

As adverse weather hit the City of Cape Town hard, many areas were flooded with little to no access to roadways across the Cape Flats on Thursday.

However, when City of Cape Town officials were called out to Woodlands in Mitchells Plain to assist with a blocked drain, they got more than they bargained for.

As officials worked on the drain they uncovered a badly decomposed body.

The Western Cape police spokesperson, Captain FC van Wyk confirmed the incident.

“Lentegeur police registered an inquest following the discovery of a badly decomposed body in a drain on Thursday, July 11, at about 1pm at the corner of Herbal and Mitchells Avenue in Woodlands, Mitchells Plain,” van Wyk said.

He further stated the identity of the deceased person is yet to be established.

“The race, age, or gender of the deceased is unknown,” van Wyk said.

Residents in the area were left baffled and many took to social media to share pictures of the incident as police and forensic teams were on the scene.

Cape Town was hit heavy with torrential rain and gale-force winds which made landfall across the province on Wednesday evening.

By Friday, the City of Cape Town’s Traffic Services spokesperson, Maxine Bezuidenhout said traffic officers are still managing the impacts of flooding and obstructions on numerous roadways around the city.

Chapmans Peak and Clarence Drive remain closed.

Baden Powell Drive is open to traffic after the sand was cleared from the roadway.

“In Simon’s Town, in the vicinity of Miller’s Point, a stop-go system is in place following a mudslide yesterday. Various traffic signals have been affected in Area South, including Prince George Drive and Joe Marks Boulevard, Strandfontein, and Ottery Roads, the M5 and Ottery Road, as well as Main and Victoria Road in Plumstead,” Bezuidenhout said.

“Traffic officers are conducting point duty during peak hours. During off-peak, and until the problems are resolved, motorists are advised to please treat affected intersections as four-way stops.”

robin.francke@iol.co.za

IOL

• Over 15,000 people impacted by adverse weather in the Western Cape

• Retail giant Pick n Pay opens its stores for storm relief donations across the Western Cape

• Only schools in Cape Winelands and Overberg districts are closed on Friday, says WCED

• Cape storm: More than 6,500 flood kits distributed, and the numbers continue to rise

• ‘Life and death delays’: Western Cape Infrastructure Department calls for decentralisation of the Emergency Housing Fund to respond to disasters quicker

• Power outages, burst river banks across the Western Cape as storm surges dump significant rain and fill dams

• WATCH: Cape storm: Flooding and roofs blown off overnight across Cape Town