• The government declared a national disaster across six provinces after brutal cold fronts brought freezing weather and gale force winds.

• Strong winds are grounding rescue helicopters and trapping people in flooded towns without any water or electricity on the coast.

Fierce storms and gale force winds are smashing the Western Cape and Eastern Cape. The brutal weather will pound both provinces until Tuesday.

Scores of people are trapped in flooded communities across the Garden Route. High winds are stopping rescue helicopters from flying in to save them.

Disaster boss Gerhard Otto said the choppers are grounded. He said police are clearing uprooted trees to unblock closed roads. Many areas are sitting without water or electricity.

Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn

In Cape Town, disaster teams are checking damage across 40 informal settlements. Strong winds have ripped roofs off houses and flooded homes.

Cape Town disaster spokesperson Charlotte Powell said teams will evacuate people and give them emergency shelter if they need it. A falling tree injured a woman inside her car in Plattekloof on Monday.

The government stepped in on Sunday and declared a national disaster across six provinces.

Cooperative Governance Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa spoke on the radio on Monday morning. He sent his condolences to families who lost loved ones in the floods.

Hlabisa said the disaster declaration forces all levels of government to step in. Municipalities are currently counting the cost of the damage. Officials will then look at their budgets and find money to rebuild the smashed areas.

The extreme cold is also forcing vulnerable people off the streets. Haven Night Shelter boss Shaddie Valayadum said more than 60 homeless men arrived at their doors in just two weeks.

"Winter, for homeless people on the street, is not just uncomfortable. It is not just unnecessary, but it is brutal," she said.