Johannesburg - Yesterday, the SA Weather Service warned of heavy downpours in Gauteng and put out an orange level-5 alert.
According to models, heavy rainfall (50-80mm) could cause flooding of roads and settlements.
The service also warned that inclement weather could pose a threat to life, owing to fast-flowing streams.
The continued heavy rains have ravaged homes, businesses, basic infrastructure, roads and bridges, and have affected crops, livestock and other valuables.
Among the areas that have experienced severe flooding are most parts of the Eastern Cape, the central and eastern parts of KwaZulu-Natal, the lowveld of Mpumalanga, the eastern and northern parts of Limpopo, the central and eastern parts of the Free State, Gauteng, and the extreme eastern and north-eastern parts of the North West.
The search for a man who reportedly fell into a stream in Diepsloot continues.
It was reported that the man fell into a stream around School Road during Sunday’s heavy rains.
The provincial commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant-General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela, has also warned people to refrain from getting too close to dams and rivers, as they are still dangerous.
According to reports, police from Tonga in Mpumalanga were called to Mgobodzi yesterday after community members retrieved the body of a young boy from the dam. He was certified dead at the scene.
“According to information, the boy and his friends went to the dam to cool off. It is alleged that when his friends realised that he was no longer coming out of the water, they went and reported it to the elders. Community members managed to retrieve the lifeless body of the boy and then alerted the authorities.”
Chairperson of the Motor Industry Workshop Association Dewald Ranft cautioned motorists about the severe weather conditions and suggested some basic rules they could follow to help negotiate their way to safety during the floods.
Ranft said water levels could rise very quickly in heavy rain, turning roads into rivers and leaving motorists suddenly faced with a dangerous situation.
Following the inclement weather that has battered some parts of the country, leaving many without homes, President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a national state of disaster.
According to the Presidency, the decision was taken to encourage an intensive, co-ordinated response to the floods affecting several provinces.
Earlier this week, Kruger National Park, in Mpumalanga, revealed that various parts of the park were expected to receive more rain this week. Park management had temporarily closed some of the remote camps and evacuated staff members to safer camps until the situation improved.
In Limpopo, the provincial Disaster Management unit has successfully rescued a man who had been stranded in the middle of the flooded Letaba River in Tzaneen for four days following heavy rainfalls in the province.
Limpopo Co-operative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs MEC, Basikopo Makamu, said: “The man is reported to have been on a makeshift shelter on a tree since Sunday the 12th of February, but because of the recent consistent heavy rainfall in the province the water levels rose, making it difficult for him to cross back to the riverbank.”
In KwaZulu-Natal, six people have been killed and two have been reported missing following the heavy rains over the past few days.
Umkhanyakude, King Cetshwayo, Umzinyathi and Amajuba districts were the areas hit the hardest.
MEC for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Bongi Sithole Moloi, said: “Assessments indicate that 139 homes were destroyed and 158 were partially damaged by the storms. The disaster management teams are still continuing with assessments as different areas continue to receive more rain, while the ground is already saturated with water.”
Moloi added that in terms of public infrastructure, roads and bridges across the province had been badly affected. “This includes both gravel and black-top roads.” | Additional reporting by Staff Reporters
The Star