The South African Weather Service has issued a Yellow Level 2 warning for the City of Johannesburg, alerting residents to the possibility of more disruptive rainfall on Wednesday.
The weather service warned the residents about severe thunderstorms across the city and surrounding areas.
The alert highlights the risk of heavy downpours, flooding, large hail, damaging winds, and excessive lightning.
Robert Mulaudzi, the spokesperson and communications manager for the City of Johannesburg’s emergency management services (EMS), urged residents to remain vigilant.
“We are calling on residents to continue exercising caution when conducting their daily activities, especially avoiding crossing river streams,” Mulaudzi said.
“With schools closed for the holidays, parents and guardians must monitor young children closely and ensure they stay away from river streams and low-lying areas.”
Baptism and cleansing rituals
Faith-based organisations have also been singled out in the warning, with Mulaudzi stressing the heightened danger of conducting baptism or cleansing rituals in rivers during the rainy summer season.
“The risk of congregants being swept away by strong water currents is much higher at this time. We urge all religious groups to avoid visiting river streams, whether during the day or at night, until conditions improve,” he added.
Motorists have not been spared the caution.
Extend your safe following distance and, above all, refrain from crossing flooded roads or low-lying bridges.
“Across all seven regions of Johannesburg, our EMS units, disaster management monitoring teams, and water rescue unit remain activated.
“We closely monitor the situation and remain prepared to respond to any incidents.”
Flooding incidents
In KwaZulu-Natal, flooding incidents in 2025 have resulted in at least 34 confirmed deaths, while numerous others have been injured or reported missing.
The hardest hit have been vulnerable populations in floodplains (areas close to rivers or stormwater channels) and informal settlements, which has made poverty and displacement worse.
An extreme cold front that brought snowfall, gale-force winds, and torrential rains in mid-June 2025 caused catastrophic flooding in the Eastern Cape.
At least 103 people perished, including 40 children, 32 of whom were students. The youngest victim was a child who was only 12 months old.
