Over 200 residents moved to shelters after dam collapses near Malmesbury

CAPE TOWN - More than 220 Western Cape residents have been moved to shelters after two retention dams collapsed, causing flooding and destroying homes in Chatsworth, outside Malmesbury.

It's understood that 50 homes were swept away, leaving over 400 people in need of humanitarian assistance on Thursday. 

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Swartland Municipality spokesperson, Heinrich Robertson, said the cause of the dam collapse is being investigated.

"A few weeks ago, this area and the broader Kalbaskraal area, which is very close to one another, obviously had to bear the brunt of severe weather conditions. 

“So, whether it was overfull or whether it was just a defect in the wall of the dam, that's obviously going to be in the report and we are waiting for those engineers to return."