VIDEO: Flooded Newlands cricket stadium turns into a pool
· The South African
The Mother (City) of all storms hit the Cape on Monday, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake, with flooding reported across various parts of the province, while an eye-catching video has emerged to show the state of the drenched Newlands cricket ground.
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The famed ground was almost entirely flooded on Monday, resembling a huge swimming pool rather than a cricket field.
Fortunately, with the domestic cricket season having concluded recently, there are no major fixtures that have been impacted by this flooding.
YOU CAN SEE THE STATE OF THE NEWLANDS CRICKET GROUND BELOW
Big storm in Cape Town.
— FarmerMike™ 👨🌾 (@mikeratcliffe) May 11, 2026
Newlands Cricket grounds today. pic.twitter.com/6sX6XnUZaU
SCHOOL CLOSURES
Meanwhile, the Western Cape Education Department has taken the decision – “in the interests of learner and educator safety” – to close ALL public schools in the province on 12 May 2026.
Statement by Minister David Maynier, Minister of Education Western Cape“
“In the interests of learner and teacher safety, and after extensive consultation with the Provincial Disaster Management Centre and the South African Weather Service (SAWS), a decision has been taken to close all schools in the Western Cape on Tuesday, 12 May 2026.
“This includes all public ordinary and special schools in the province. Disaster Management and SAWS have made the recommendation based on updated weather projections and current conditions.
“Our default position is always to keep schools open and only close schools in exceptional circumstances, but we are mindful of the severity of the warnings in place.
“We will continuously monitor and evaluate the situation to ensure that schools can reopen as soon as possible, which is currently expected to be on Wednesday, 13 May 2026.
“As of 15:30 on Monday, 11 May 2026, total of 227 schools applied for closure in addition to the closure list issued for the Cape Winelands and Eden and Central Karoo districts.
“A number of schools have also suffered damage due to the storm, which is currently being assessed.
“Thank you to the officials, principals, teachers and parents for the support in implementing school closures.
“And thank you to the first responders, emergency services and disaster management officials who continue to support our schools during the severe weather conditions.”