The Johannesburg Emergency Services says one person was injured after a massive hailstorm hit several parts of Johannesburg last night.
The storm caused damage to properties and cars leaving roads slippery in the hail aftermath. Rosebank, Midrand, and Soweto are among the areas affected.
More rainfall is expected in Gauteng, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal.
With a collapsed roof the Southern Sun Hotel is closed. Spokesperson Candy Tothhill says they have started to fix the damage caused by the hailstorm.
“A portion of the roof of the restaurant at Southern Sun Rosebank was damaged by a storm and together with engineers and other professionals we are assessing what needs to be done in order to repair it.”
In Soweto, a woman was rescued by emergency services after falling into a drain and taken to hospital. Johannesburg Emergency Services spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi says people should remain on high alert as more rainfall is predicted.
” However, we still remain on high alert monitoring, most of all, our seven regions in the City of Johannesburg. We are urging our motorists out there to exercise caution while driving. And of course our residents in our low-lying areas, especially our informal settlements to try and avoid crossing river streams and monitor young kids to stay away from those areas, so that we can prevent further incidents which might occur throughout the day.”
Joburg Emergency Management Services spokesperson, Xolile Khumalo, says Southern Sun Hotel experienced a partial structural collapse.
”EMS would like to caution the residents of Johannesburg to please exercise extra caution during rainy days. Please don’t drive through flooded roads, stay away from low-lying bridges, and also would like to caution the residents who have built their homes around the river banks to please stay alert during this time.”
South African Weather Services forecaster, Lehloholo Thobela, says the weather phenomenon is normal at this time of the year.
“Yes, this type of condition is normal, especially over this time of the year moving from spring over to summer. With El Niño happening, we do experience or expect much more extreme weather, but below normal rainfall. However, in this instance, everything seems to be matching with the summer patterns of the country.”
More rainfall is predicted today and residents are urged to take the necessary precautions.
