Heavy rains are expected to hit at least four provinces on Thursday, says the South African Weather Service.
It warned on Wednesday that heavy falls had been forecast in the Western Cape in the Overberg, the Cape Winelands and Eden districts, and in parts of the Eastern Cape, Limpopo and Mpumalanga.
Several areas in the Western Cape and Free State had already experienced heavy rains, hail storms and strong winds.
Two people were rescued in the Greyton area in the Western Cape by helicopter after being surrounded by floodwater on Wednesday.
Head of disaster management in the region, Reinard Geldenhuys, said various secondary roads in the Overberg area had been closed.
The Bads River at Caledon, the Buffeljags River at the Suurbraak & Buffeljags river holiday resort and the Riviersonderend River at Greyton and Helderstroom were in flood.
Geldenhuys said various homes in Hermanus were also flooded.
”In Hermanus 100 people were evacuated as a result of the flooding, while reports of water running through houses in Fernkloof, Hermanus, were also received.”
Geldenhuys said additional resources were being kept on standby.
The weather service had denied reports of predictions of the ”heaviest rain in 10 years”.
”Neither the Port Elizabeth nor the Cape Town branches of the South African Weather Service issued any of the statements indicating that the heaviest rain in 10 years for the Southern Cape and the heaviest rains in 10 years were expected to fall in the George area today [Wednesday],” it said in a statement.
In the Free State, eight people have drowned during flash floods in the Botshabelo and Thaba Nchu areas, about 60km east of Bloemfontein, since Sunday.
About 240 houses were damaged by flood water.
Mangaung executive mayor Playfair Morule visited the relatives of those who had drowned on Wednesday.
Disaster management teams were still distributing food parcels and blankets to victims.
The municipality also started supplying new building materials to those whose informal dwellings have been destroyed.
”We have been distributing corrugated iron and other material and food to flood victims from today [Wednesday],” Morule said.
The South African Weather Service office in Bloemfontein expected only light rain for the area on Wednesday night and Thursday. — Sapa