Cape Town - Malls and entertainment venues were not spared the impact of the storm surge yesterday, as GrandWest Casino, Liberty Promenade Mall and Westgate Shopping Centre reported flooding and damage to infrastructure.
Staff at GrandWest reacted quickly when a shallow pool of water formed outside the casino area yesterday.
GrandWest general manager Mervyn Naidoo said: “At approximately 5am, GrandWest experienced localised flooding in the wake of the level 8 storm. Mopping up operations began immediately as we have staff on duty, 24 hours a day.
“Fortunately, flooding was mainly contained to a passage outside the smokers’ casino, but the equipment inside was not affected. Both casino floors are open and operating normally, but parts of the passage in The District have been closed as a precaution since further rain is predicted. Our engineers and technicians have been working on the damage in the roof since early this morning.
“We are grateful that our damage is so minimal given that Goodwood appears to have been badly affected by the storm. We note that many roads in the area are flooded and several homes and businesses have suffered enormous damage. We are fortunate to be able to offer support by donating R50 000 worth of non-perishable items to the Goodwood Fire Station, and we will be holding a soup drive in the Elsies River community (today).”
A video circulating on social media shows a flooded Liberty Promenade Mall in Mitchells Plain.
The video shows water stretching from Entrance 1 towards the Woolworths entrance.
A staff member of a retail store said they received a message from centre management that read: “Dear Tenants, due to leaks in certain areas of the mall, please note that stores from Entrance 1 to Code are unable to trade at this time.
“However, staff will be permitted access to enter their stores. We will continue to provide updates throughout the day. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.”
Liberty Promenade Mall brand manager, Najeeba Ebrahim, said the mall remained fully operational.
“We are aware of a video circulating on social media, reporting that the mall is closed for trade. We wish to clarify that the mall is fully operational and trading as usual. Entrance 1 is open to the public. We appreciate your patience and understanding in this regard, and would like to extend a big thank you to the cleaning and security teams for their hard work in resolving the situation.”
Another staffer at the mall said maintenance was done on the roofs prior to the storm.
In another video, a flooded Westgate Shopping Centre was also affected by the aggressive weather.
The parking area of the mall is also flooded with no way of using the drive through to the outside restaurants.
Centre management’s Lydia Du Plessis said: “There has been very minimal damage, with only two minor leaks.”
Cape Argus