Hammanskraal residents in the north of Pretoria bore the brunt of the heavy rainfall over the weekend. It left many families stranded, some of whom are being accommodated at a local community hall.
Others were offered shelter by neighbours. The area does not have storm water drainage infrastructure.
It has been a cold and wet festive season. While the rain is welcome, for some it brought misery.
Several properties in Mashimong have been flooded.
One of the residents, Sarafina Chauke, says some of her appliances have been damaged by the rain.
She says the local government knows about the lack of water drainage infrastructure but nothing has been done about it.
The Tshwane Emergency Service has been inundated with calls.
Tshwane Emergency Services Charles Mabaso says Hammanskraal has been worst affected by the floods. He says displaced families have been accommodated at a local community hall.
Hammanskraal has been experiencing localised flooding since the 80’s, with no solution in sight.
Community leaders have threatened protest action if their demands for storm water drainage infrastructure are not met.
South African National Civic Organization’s Thabo Mashilo says Hammankraal has been experiencing localised flooding for the past 20 years.
“ANC always sends their deployees to the area to assess the situation with nothing being done. Come January, if nothing is done, we will protest.”
The South African Weather Service attributes the heavy downpours to the La Nina system that is set to last for the whole of summer.
Saws Senior Weather Forecaster Bubele Bulo says Mpumalanga, Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng have been the worst affected provinces.
There is some reprieve, as the South African Weather Service has not predicted any heavy downpours during this week.
Floods wreak havoc in Hammanskraal:
