South Africa experiences floods due to heavy rains

Heavy rainfall wreaked havoc in Pretoria, bursting the banks of the Hennops River and causing a sinkhole in Centurion. Emergency Services remain on high alert and have urged motorists to be extra cautious.

The South African Weather Service has issued yet another warning for KwaZulu-Natal, this time for areas in the far northern part of the province.

Tshwane

The Tshwane Emergency Services reports that several roads around Centurion in Pretoria are flooded. One vehicle attempted to cross a flooded road near Supersport Cricket Stadium in Centurion but failed to get across.

🔴 DANGER: FLOODING ON RABIE & END STREETS IN CENTURION AFTER HEAVY OVERNIGHT RAIN | 📸 FIRSTHELP pic.twitter.com/NnzNNniFqH

— Gauteng Weather (@tWeatherSA) November 13, 2022

The occupants managed to escape unharmed. Tshwane Emergency Services spokesperson Charles Mabaso says the torrential rains have also led to the closure of some low-lying bridges in the City with some households requiring water to be channeled out of their houses.

⚠️ WARNING: CAR TRAPPED & NUMEROUS ROADS FLOODED IN CENTURION ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON. REPORTS OF 100MM+ OF OVERNIGHT RAIN IN THE AREA | 📸 RAZA & FIRSTHELP pic.twitter.com/HeVWscMZYS

— Gauteng Weather (@tWeatherSA) November 13, 2022

He says the Emergency Services and Metro Police are monitoring known hotspots and effecting road closures as required.

“Some households in areas of Mamelodi, Mooiplas, Nelmapius and Soshanguve have reported water-locked yards and water entering houses. There were no injuries reported and the Disaster Management is assessing the situation.”

Video – Weather I Rainfall timeline for the past 10 days in SA: 

KwaZulu Natal

The South African Weather Service has issued yet another warning for KwaZulu-Natal, this time for areas in the far northern part of the province.

According to the forecast, these areas have an 80% chance of disruptive rainfall that might lead to localised flooding.  The province has been experiencing severe weather conditions with many areas, especially those in the Midlands, flooded. The public has been cautioned to avoid crossing flooded rivers.

Disaster Management Teams in KwaZulu-Natal are on high alert in the northern parts of the province following a weather warning issued by the South African Weather Service.

The warning indicates that inclement weather conditions can be expected in these areas with 80 percent chances of rain that could lead to localised flooding.

South African Weather Service has issued yet another warning for KZN this time for areas in the far northern part of the province. The areas should expect an 80% chance of rainfall that could cause localised flooding #sabcnews

— SAfm news (@SAfmnews) November 13, 2022

The warning comes at a time when various parts of the province are trying to pick up the pieces after being affected by the floods earlier this week.

The spokesperson for the provincial Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Senzelwe Mzila says, “The MEC for COGTA , Sihle Zikalala has assured residents in these areas that teams are monitoring areas that are prone to the floods. He has warned residents to ensure that they follow all safety precautions as these weather conditions could cause localised flooding in a number of areas in the northern parts of the province.”

Video – KZN Floods | Heavy rains continue to wreak havoc in Durban: 

Eastern Cape

Meanwhile, households in the OR Tambo district municipality have been affected yet again by torrential rainfall. The impact left scores of people homeless, while others lost their businesses.

Bridges are overflowing and cannot be used. The local municipalities of King Sabatha Dalindyebo and Nyandeni are the most affected.

Local businesses have been affected by the rain. Some plants have been washed away, and some pigs died after a piggery was flooded.

Ntsikayezwe Zithakele explains, “After the heavy rain yesterday, when I got to the piggery, the water was flooding the piggery as I was trying to take the pigs out. I went out when the water reached my chest. I called my neighbour to come and help. The four pigs drowned and died.”

Residents say the rain affects them badly and have called on the government to intervene.

Video – Heavy rains leave large-scale flooding mainly of agricultural land in the North West province:

North West

Heavy rains in the North West province over the past few days have seen large scale flooding, mainly of agricultural land and caused many dams to overflow.

Numerous fields are waterlogged and plants are dying due to overwatering while grain farmers are unable to plant.

Rain is a welcome blessing from above. It brings with it some spectacular views but too much rain can also become a burden for farmers such as Daan van der Merwe who farms near Groot Marico.

Daan van der Merwe who is a farmer says, “The rain that we are receiving now is abnormal for this tome of the year. Our average rainfall for November is thirty to fifty millimeters. In the catchment of Marico River, we had eighty millimeters to 200 millimeters in the past five days. So, we don’t know what is coming. If this is the start of the season, and the dams are already overflowing, perhaps we will have a very wet season.”

“The wheat on the fields is worth millions of rands and that must come in now for your cash flow. Your cash flow at the bank is exactly written to the point where you must get this harvesting to go on. So, if the rain keeps ongoing, most of the farmers, the irrigation farmers having wheat on the fields, will have cash flow problems,” added Van der Merwe.

According to another local farmer Susanna Kalcic the rain is also causing damage to the roads and service providers also struggle to access areas where their services are needed.

Another farmer, Susanna Kalcic says, “If there’s power cuts, Eskom can’t get to the proper location to fix the lines. We struggle network, signals and all of those stuff.”

Video – Farmers in North West remain anxious as rains persist: