“That’s a Lot of Damage”: Western Cape Storm Leaves Grabouw Apple Farm in Ruins in Devastating Video

Viral footage shared by TrafficSA on 12 May 2026 captured the heartbreaking aftermath at a Grabouw apple farm after the Western Cape storm tore through the Elgin Valley. Gale-force winds flattened entire harvests, leaving apples scattered across orchard floors. The video left South Africans devastated.

The destruction in Grabouw was part of a much wider catastrophe across the Western Cape. A cut-off low system and a strong cold front made landfall in the Western Cape on Sunday, followed by a second, more powerful cold front on Monday, causing the extreme weather to intensify.

When the winds had their say

Hortgro general manager of trade and markets, Jacques du Preez, confirmed that the rain hit the last of the apple harvest in Grabouw, affecting Pink Lady and Cripps Red apples still on the trees. He noted it was at least the final fruit of the season. Farmers and industry workers were left scrambling to assess what remained.

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The South African Weather Service issued an Orange Level 8 alert for disruptive rainfall across parts of the Western Cape, with forecasts of 200 to 300 millimetres raising the risk of mudslides, fast-flowing rivers and road flooding.

Power outages were reported across towns, including Caledon, Grabouw, Botrivier, Villiersdorp, Greyton and Genadendal following the storms. For the farming community in Grabouw, that meant no communication and no way to fully measure the damage.

The Western Cape Department of Agriculture launched a formal damage assessment to determine the full financial impact.

Watch the Twitter clip below:

Source: Briefly News