Pretoria - City of Joburg’s Emergency Management Services (EMS) is appealing to motorists to exercise caution following severe thunderstorms which rocked parts of Gauteng, leaving a trail of destruction.
Speaking to broadcaster Newzroom Afrika, Joburg EMS spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi said the inclement weather is forecast to continue for the next few days.
“We had a number of reports, especially in the City of Johannesburg, mostly in Florida, the inner city, but the area which was mostly affected was the Sandton area where trees were reported to have fallen,” said Mulaudzi.
“The good part was that there were no injuries which were reported due to these severe thunderstorms. We are told that we might still have this rainfall throughout the week, especially over the weekend, so we are still encouraging our motorists out there to exercise caution while driving.”
Motorists are urged to keep a safe following distance between vehicles, and avoid crossing flooded roads and bridges.
“Our residents in our low-lying areas should avoid rivers and streams, and they should also monitor young kids to stay away from their areas,” he said.
Joburg EMS’s disaster management teams have been unleashed across the seven regions of the city to monitor the situation and to assist community members affected by the harsh weather overnight.
“Any other residents who might have been affected, we advise them to call our call centre, which is 011 375 5911, so that they can be assisted if there is any situations, life-threatening situations which they would want us to attend to,” he said.
Across the country, thunderstorms were also forecast over KwaZulu-Natal on Monday, according to the South African Weather Service (Saws).
A level 2 storm warning has been issued.
IOL