Emergency management services (EMS) in Johannesburg are on high alert after the SA Weather Service issued a level-two warning for heavy rains in some parts of the province.
The weather service said the severe thunderstorms on Tuesday and Wednesday are likely to cause flash floods in most parts of the City of Johannesburg.
Speaking to Sunday World on Tuesday, EMS spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi said so far there had not been any major incidents reported across the city.
Mulaudzi reassured that the aquatic rescue unit will remain on a high alert in all seven regions across Johannesburg, especially in low-lying areas.
He urged residents to avoid crossing river streams and to encourage children to stay away from the river streams.
Avoid low-lying bridges
Mulaudzi also pleaded with motorists to maintain a safe following distance on the roads and to avoid low-lying bridges during heavy rains.
“Most of our river streams in Soweto and surrounding areas like Klipvalley have full water levels,” Mulaudzi said.
“The aquatic rescue unit will be on high alert to monitor [the situation] throughout the day. The team that is on alert will respond fast to any water-related incidents that might be reported throughout the day.”
Meanwhile, the number of people who died when flash floods battered Ladysmith in KwaZulu-Natal on Christmas Eve has risen to six.
The municipality said on Monday that 11 more people were still missing. On Tuesday, the search got under way to find those still missing.
Damage caused to infrastructure
Zama Sibisi, mayor of Alfred Duma local municipality, said: “At around 10.30pm, we experienced heavy rainfall resulting in serious damage to infrastructure and claimed [several] lives.”
Sibisi conveyed condolences to the families of people killed by the flash floods and wished strength to those still searching for their loved ones.
The IPSS Medical Emergency and Rescue said on Monday that the victims were staying at a caravan park adjacent to the Kliprivier when it overflowed and swallowed them.
In November 2022, the floods in KwaZulu-Natal caused a severe impact on economic activity in the province, as they brought business operations to a halt in several industries, chairperson of the National Council of Provinces Amos Masondo said at the time.
Masondo, the former mayor of Johannesburg, noted that the floods came at a time when KwaZulu-Natal was recovering from the effects of the 2021 July riots, which cost the province over R20-billion and put more than 150 000 jobs at risk.
