With more than 500 people relocated because of rain damage to their shacks, Johannesburg’s emergency services has urged people living near water lines and crossing bridges to exercise caution.
Some residents of Klipspruit, Alexandra, Diepsloot, Ennerdale and Kaya Sands residents had been moved, Gauteng Provincial Services said on Thursday.
Many people had also struggled with power outages caused by the rain.
Shots were fired at rescue workers and police trying to save three people supposedly swept away by flood waters in Kya Sands.
”We arrived at where they were supposed to be washed away and suddenly shots were fired towards the river,” said Johannesburg emergency management services spokesperson Malcolm Midgley.
”We were forced to evacuate the fire fighters. We don’t know where the shooting was coming from.”
Police spokesperson Captain Cheryl Engelbrecht said five armed men were thought to have shot at the officials and then taken cover in a nearby informal settlement. They have not been found and nobody was injured in the incident.
Rescuers later concluded that nobody had been swept away by flood waters.
Emergency services prepared for possible rain-related disasters throughout Johannesburg on Thursday, with a rescue base of ropes and boats set up at the Marlboro bridge in Alexandra — a common danger spot during heavy rains.
”Please move away from the water line and don’t cross low-lying bridges,” Midgley asked pedestrians and motorists.
Johannesburg and East Rand metro police reiterated earlier warnings for caution on the wet roads after a spate of crashes.
Three people were injured when two bakkies collided on Main Reef Road in Boksburg, said Ekurhuleni metro police’s George Mokheseng.
Two occupants of a Mazda bakkie and one of a Ford bakkie were rushed to the Sunshine Hospital, he said.
A woman died and 16 people were seriously injured in a head-on crash between two taxis on Johannesburg’s Golden Highway, and a motorist had to be rescued when her car was swept away at a bridge on Witkoppen road in Sunninghill.
First Road Emergency tow truck driver Jean Swiegers managed to pull the woman to safety and retrieve her car, his colleague, only identified as Deon, said while Swiegers rested from his overnight shift.
A number of roads had to be closed, but had since reopened.
The Water Affairs and Forestry Department said there was no emergency situation near Standerton’s Grootdraai dam. Its level had dropped to 109% after a release of water.
”The situation is fairly under control,” said Amelius Muller, chief director for regions.
The Vaal Dam had risen to 45% and was expected to rise to 55% which, combined with backup from supplies at the Sterkfontein Dam, has eased drought fears.
”We are very thankful for it,” said Muller. However, he warned that water restrictions might have to remain in the Free State, Mpumalanga and Limpopo.
WeatherSA forecaster Derrick Makhubele said the rains were caused by a tropical system that had moved down Southern Africa.
More thundershowers were expected in Johannesburg on Thursday after a short clearing up period. Light rains would also fall over KwaZulu-Natal because of a cold front.
Chances of rain would lessen over the next few days with some bright patches already appearing in the western half of the Eastern Cape.
According to South African Broadcasting Corporation radio news, the Swartkopfontein border gate between South Africa and Botswana — linking Zeerust in North West with Gaborone — was reopened after rains caused the Notwane River to overflow over the border bridge. – Sapa