A low bridge in Tshwane flooded after heavy rain.
Tshwane Department of Emergency Services
- Heavy rain in the northern and eastern parts of the country will continue until Saturday.
- The South African Meteorological Services have issued a severe storm warning for Limpopo and Mpumalanga.
- Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu warned tourists to be vigilant and obey the authorities.
Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu has warned tourists to be vigilant amid continued torrential rains in parts of the country.
In Kruger National Park, flooding caused the closure of four camps: Lower Sabie, Crocodile Bridge, Biyamiti and Talamati.
All access doors besides the Crocodile Bridge are open. Tourists are cautioned that the direct route from Lower Sabie to Skukuza remains inaccessible, and travel between Satara and Skukuza or Lower Sabie is not possible.
Sisulu said: “It is important that all tourists in and around the Mpumalanga and Komani areas of the Eastern Cape are cautious, especially when traveling at night and when crossing low bridges.”
Rescue teams in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal have also warned residents to avoid low bridges.
The South African Weather Service issued a continuing level 9 orange storm warning for the Lowveld and rugged areas of Limpopo and Mpumalanga through Friday and Saturday.
The warning key runs from green, which is minimal impact, to red, which is severe thunderstorm impact, with levels one through 10 indicating the probability of a thunderstorm where 10 is very likely.
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The service warns that the impact of this type of storm could be widespread flooding, putting people at risk of being washed away.
Warns of community displacement, landslides and rockfalls, and possibly washed away roads and bridges.
A level 5 orange warning was issued for Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Limpopo, with the service warning that rivers were bursting their banks and continued rain could cause further flooding.
In the west of the country, the service warns of “very hot” and uncomfortable temperatures that reach levels above 30 °C.
Meanwhile, Tshwane Emergency Services Department spokesman Charles Mabaso urged motorists not to think about crossing flooded bridges with little water “and risk losing life and the lives of your passengers and property.”
“We also make a repeated call to those who find refuge under the bridges near the rivers to evacuate the rivers when it rains.”
This as emergency crews continue their search for a man who was swept away by the Apies River near the Pretoria Zoological Gardens at approximately 1:30 p.m. on Thursday.
Mabaso said this was the second incident in the vicinity of the Pretoria Zoo in less than a week.
Last Friday, a man drowned after being swept away by ongoing rains. His body was recovered in Pretoria North the next day.
The KZN Provincial Government warned residents about inclement weather in much of the province.
“Weather conditions could lead to the flooding of roads, settlements and bridges. Residents are urged to exercise extreme caution.”
