| Year | Event & Location | Rockslide & Soil-Related Damage |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Montagu Floods (March) A cut-off low brought 178mm of rain in one day, causing the Kogmans River to rise to levels not seen in over 70 years. A section of the Bellair dam wall also gave in. | The flood was declared a national disaster. The severe overland flow ripped up growing vegetation and washed it away, causing significant environmental degradation and erosion in the Kogmans River catchment. |
| 2004-2005 | Garden Route & Eden District Floods (Dec 2004 - Jan 2005) A cut-off low triggered widespread flooding. The December 2004 event alone caused an estimated R57.9 million in damage in the Eden District. | Powerful overland flow ripped up vegetation and caused severe erosion. The event highlighted how bad farming practices and vegetation removal exacerbated the damage. |
| 2005 | Bredasdorp Floods (April) Rivers burst their banks, cutting off towns and affecting about 3,000 people. Direct damage costs were estimated at R8.9 million. | While specific rockslide data is limited for this event, it is part of a series of floods (2003-2008) that caused recurring damage to riverbanks and agricultural soil in the region. |
| 2006 | Western Cape Winter Storms Torrential rains caused flooding along the southern coast. Heavy snow, rain, and falling rocks closed mountain roads. | Rockfalls were explicitly reported as a hazard, closing mountain roads in the interior. This event is part of a documented series of severe weather events from 2003 to 2008 that caused recurring damage. |
| 2007 | Southern Cape Coastal Floods (November) Severe stormy weather hit the coastal region. Damages were estimated at over R631 million. In George, 550 people were housed in community halls. | This event is part of a series that caused recurring damage to riverbanks. It highlighted the vulnerability of the region to soil erosion and the loss of fertile topsoil. |
| 2008 | Western Cape Floods (July & November) In July, about 16,000 people were displaced, mostly in the low-lying Cape Flats. The November floods caused damage estimated at close to R1 billion, with 80ha of table grapes washed away. | Extreme erosion occurred along many foothill rivers. The floods caused major damage to riverbanks, and it was noted that protective measures were needed to prevent substantial loss of agricultural soil. |
| 2012 | Western Cape Storms (July & August) Heavy flooding and snow affected the province. In July, rocks were dislodged on Sir Lowry’s Pass, hitting two cars and injuring 12 people. The N2 was closed. | The rockfall on Sir Lowry’s Pass is a direct example of the hazard. The 2012 floods also caused widespread disruption, with many riverbanks washed away, leading to a substantial loss of agricultural soil. |
| 2016 | Cape Town Floods (June & July) Flooding affected between 10,000 and 15,000 people. The area was described as having a high risk of rockfalls and mudslides down steep mountain slopes. | The risk of rockfalls and mudslides was explicitly highlighted. This risk was heightened by recent fires that had denuded mountains of their ground cover, increasing the potential for soil instability. |
| 2018 | Cape Town Floods (June & August) Heavy rains affected about 4,000 homes. Bainskloof Pass was closed due to mudslides, and mudslides were also reported in the Hout Bay and Llandudno areas. | Mudslides were a key impact, closing mountain passes and affecting coastal roads. The events followed a severe drought and fires, which had left slopes vulnerable to erosion. |
| 2021 | Overberg Floods (May) Very heavy rainfall and strong winds caused significant damage in the Overberg. | Serious rill erosion occurred, washing away large areas of crops and topsoil. This is a direct example of the loss of fertile topsoil you mentioned. Rill erosion was documented in newly planted grain fields near Riviersonderend. |
| 2023 | Western Cape Floods (June & September) In June, a cold front caused around $50 million in damage to the agriculture sector. In September, severe floods killed at least 11 people and forced 2,710 families to evacuate. | The September event caused rockslides, wash-aways, and fallen trees that damaged rail infrastructure. The October 2023 rainfall caused slope failures and erosion on the Franschhoek Pass. |
| 2024 | Western Cape Floods (July & August) Two major events occurred. The first (July 5-16) caused widespread infrastructure damage. The second (August 8-17) saw the failure of four dams, leading to severe flooding in Riverlands. | The July 2024 storms caused mountains of soil to wash down, silting up dams and eroding farm tracks. The ground became super-saturated, and soil cover had to be replaced multiple times. |
| 2026 | Western Cape Floods (May) A National Disaster was declared after a sequence of cut-off lows brought extreme rainfall (over 200mm in places). At least 10 people died, and over 85,000 residents were affected in Cape Town alone. | The disaster caused mudslides and slope failures, as well as road embankment erosion. The Garden Route experienced severe slope instability, and the region had already experienced flooding earlier in May, compounding soil saturation and runoff. |