Six and ten electricity pylons in the Waaihoek area between Wolseley and Worcester, alone, left the region with constrained power supply.
This is after Ceres received 488 mm of rain over three-days, last week, while parts of the Witzenberg Valley recorded more than 600 mm.
It will take up to four weeks to repair them.
But this might cause serious delays in the fresh fruit industry, because of reliance on electricity.
There are more than 300,000 tonnes of freshly harvested export fruit currently in cold storage.
John Steenhuisen, Minister of Agriculture, visited the Ceres region this week to assess the impact on the apple and pear industry and surrounding communities.
Steenhuisen also met with directors from Ceres Fruit Growers, Dutoit Agri, and De Keur, as well as with the Witzenberg Municipality.
Pieter Graaff, chairman of Tru-Cape Fruit Marketing, who also represents Ceres Fruit Growers and Fruit Processors, said the scale of the damage will have long-term economic consequences for the region and the broader agricultural sector.
“The storm’s impact has been catastrophic. As rivers swelled, roads, homes and lives were swept away. The damage to infrastructure will take years to repair and cost billions of rand. This disaster has set our province back significantly, but with strong leadership, we will prevail” he said.
He also said the town is currently receiving electricity from an alternative source, but that it supplies only about 15% to 20% of the area’s total demand.
Eskom Hld SOC Ltd said it has restored power to 80% of affected customers in the Western Cape.
The full rebuild of infrastructure is to be completed by Friday, 19 June 2026, in the Boland/ Cape Winelands District.
Repairs and access clearing activity continue in Robberg and Rheenendal, while teams are replacing stolen power cables in Kurland/The Crags.
Electricity to The Crags was expected to be restored by Friday.
About 60% of the network was restored in Langkloof, with full restoration on Friday.
Farms around Stanford Lagoon in the Overberg, are expected to have electricity restored by Friday, 29 May 2026, as well as Baardskeerdersbos and Papiesvlei.
Materials and contractors arrived on site for construction to commence recovery of electricity in Lutzville, on the West Coast, during the week.
Picture: Tru Cape Marketing