Police have reportedly called off the search for a matric candidate who was washed away while attempting to cross the Keurbos River near De Doorns in the Western Cape.

The girl was with her mother when the incident occurred on Wednesday afternoon, said Inspector Bernadine Steyn.

The Western Cape has been hit by gale force winds and rain since Tuesday night, which ripped off roofs, flooded homes, closed roads, washed away bridges and damaged crops.

In Hermanus, some 100 people left without homes are being sheltered by the Overstrand municipality as heavy rains continued to fall in the Western Cape on Thursday.

According to the Overstrand municipality website, six other families in Protem were also being housed in a local hall and supplied with food.

An SA Air Force Oryx helicopter, from the Bredasdorp Air Base, was flying rescue missions in the Winelands region. It was airlifting people trapped by rising flood waters.

One person was rescued in the Swellendam area by the community.

The municipality said rivers in the region had burst their banks after two days of heavy rain. This had also led to road closures.

Local radio stations report some communities have been cut off by flooding, and bridges have been washed away.

Overberg disaster management said it was constantly monitoring the situation.

Meanwhile, there were concerns over the Theewaterskloof dam and the Buffeljags dam which were overflowing.

"The Theewaterskloof dam is 106 percent full. Additional resources are being kept on standby and ongoing monitoring is in place for the next few days," it said on its website.

Sapa