NEARLY 1,000 homes in informal settlements in Cape Town, South Africa, have been destroyed by gale-force winds, displacing about 4,000 people, authorities and an aid organisation said.

South African weather authorities said today that Cape Town and surrounding areas are expected to be hit by multiple cold fronts until at least Friday, bringing torrential rain, strong winds and flooding.

Cape Town’s disaster co-ordination team has been on alert since last Thursday, when the first front arrived.