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© David RitchieCars negotiate a flooded M3
Heavy rains in Cape Town on Sunday flooded roads and houses and caused the Liesbeek River to burst its banks, and there were "extreme weather" warnings of bitter cold over much of the country.

The M3 was flooded where the road dips near UCT, and traffic was backed up as motorists slowed down to plough through the muddy waters.

Many shacks on the Cape Flats were flooded and the city council and charity organisations provided hot meals, blankets and plastic sheeting to about 350 families.

The SA Weather Service said on Sunday's cold front had been particularly strong, adding that the cold, wet weather was here to stay for the next few days.

The weather office said westerly winds at Cape Point reached near gale force of 55km/h on Sunday morning, while there were rough seas with heavy swells between 4m and 5m from Lamberts Bay to the southern Cape coast.

The city council's disaster risk management centre ordered about 60 people to evacuate the River Club premises for their safety on Sunday after rising flood waters from the Liesbeek had inundated the club's parking lot and courtyard.

Wilfred Solomons-Johannes, head of the city's disaster management, said there had been 43 incidents of flooded roads in the metropole on Sunday, but none had caused road closures. Fifteen vehicles had been removed from the flooded River Club grounds.

Bernie Maxwell, who works in the River Club's golf shop, said on Sunday: "We're trapped and the bus is taking us out from this area. The golf shop and the restaurant are closing up, but there are SA's Got Talent auditions here too, and they're carrying on.

"The water is up to the car doors in the car park. Right now we're preparing to store all the stuff in the shop above ground level just in case the water comes higher."

James Renssen, who works at the Wild Fig restaurant near the Liesbeek River, said they were "still above sea level".

"But it's up to our parking area and all the grass is covered," he said.

Charlotte Powell from the city's disaster management said parts of the BM section of Khayelitsha had been flooded on Saturday evening and on Sunday morning.

She said the Mustadifin Foundation, Red Cross and Salvation Army had provided hot meals and blankets to the 350 families living in shacks.

In Khayelitsha many residents said flood waters were seeping through the floors because the houses did not have proper foundations.

Nosipho Ngqunge had to put her bed on bricks to keep the blankets off the flooded floor.

In Happy Valley, Blackheath, Anita Andrews, eight month's pregnant, was lying on a wet mattress while her boyfriend made a fire inside their shack to ward off the cold and dry their belongings.

"I am tired of lying on the ground. Why don't they (the council) fix our houses?

"They bring us plastic, how will that help? The water is still going to suck us in," she said.

The weather office said snowfalls were likely on higher mountain peaks on Sunday. Because of the thick cloud, it was not possible to see whether it had snowed.