An SA Air Force Oryx helicopter was flying rescue missions in the Overberg region of the Western Cape on Thursday afternoon to airlift people trapped by rising flood waters.

"There are people trapped in the Genadendal area, and others in the Cape Winelands region near Robertson," an official from Overberg Disaster Management in Bredasdorp told Sapa.

The Oryx was from the Bredasdorp Air Base, the official said.

Rivers in the region have burst their banks after two days of heavy rain.

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

Sapa