The South African Weather Service has warned that heavy downpours in Johannesburg and surrounding areas will continue throughout the night until Saturday morning.

Forecaster Khumsa Masizana says thunderstorms started developing in the Vaal and are moving in a northerly direction towards Pretoria.

“We are expecting those thunderstorms to persist from this afternoon going into the evening as well as the early hours of Saturday morning. We are also expecting cloudy conditions and heavy downpours. We are only expecting a 30% chance of some showers and thundershowers on Saturday afternoon.”

Meanwhile, Johannesburg Emergency Management Services is calling on motorists to exercise caution while driving on wet roads.

EMS Spokesperson, Robert Mulaudzi says motorists should avoid flooded bridges, avoid speeding and drive with their headlights on: “We call on all motorists to take it easy on the wet roads and  keep a safe following distance when driving. Let’s all drive safe and prevent vehicle accidents.”