Western Cape Education MEC David Maynier announced on Monday afternoon that every school in the province would be closed on Tuesday, 12 May, as the severe weather battering the region showed no sign of letting up.

The announcement came after a day in which dozens of schools in the Cape Winelands, Eden, and Central Karoo districts were already shuttered due to flooding, dangerous roads, and storm-related damage.

The province has been in the grip of a prolonged severe weather event since early May. Schools in parts of the Garden Route and Karoo were first closed on 6 and 7 May following warnings of heavy rainfall, and further closures followed on Monday as a fresh system moved in. On Monday alone, all public ordinary and special needs schools in Circuits 3, 4, 5, and 6 of the Cape Winelands district — covering areas including Worcester, Ceres, Rawsonville, Tulbagh, and the Hex River Valley — were ordered shut, while an additional 11 schools in the Eden and Central Karoo district remained inaccessible due to ongoing storm damage. Learner transport services in affected areas were also suspended.

The South African Weather Service issued a Level 8 warning for disruptive rainfall and flooding across a wide swathe of the province, including the City of Cape Town and surrounding municipalities. Forecasters warned that some mountainous areas could receive between 200mm and 300mm of rainfall, and that strong winds gusting up to 120 km/h were expected in parts of the Cape Winelands and Central Karoo.

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The closures came after the government formally declared a national disaster, with South Africa's Department of Cooperative Governance citing deaths, infrastructure damage, and disruptions to essential services across multiple provinces since 4 May.

Parents and guardians are urged to monitor updates from the Western Cape Education Department and to contact their children's schools directly for the latest information.