Bridges‚ roads‚ shacks flooded as heavy rains bring chaos to Joburg

Parts of Johannesburg were flooded on Friday as heavy rains lashed the city for a second day‚ knocking over trees and delaying traffic.

The City of Johannesburg said on Thursday night that roads in Fourways, Randburg, Florida, Soweto and other areas had been flooded. Informal settlements, including Diepsloot and the Jackson informal settlement, have also been affected.

Emergency services are on high alert.

Johannesburg EMS spokesman Nana Radebe told eNCA that it had been a “hectic” night and several families from Diepsloot had to abandon their homes and spend the night at the local fire station.

As the rain pelted down, causing severe traffic delays throughout the city, residents and motorists took to twitter to share pictures:

In Johannesburg, metro police officers have been deployed to all major intersections where traffic lights have been affected by the heavy rain.

The South African Weather Service (Saws) had earlier in the week warned of localised flooding in Gauteng‚ KwaZulu-Natal and the Free State.

Saws warned that more than 50mm of rain is expected to fall in some areas. 

“Heavy rain leading to localised flooding is expected in the eastern parts of the Free State‚ in places in North-West‚ Gauteng‚ Highveld areas of Mpumalanga and in places in Kwa-Zulu Natal …. Heavy rain is expected to persist in Gauteng‚ the western parts of Mpumalanga‚ eastern parts of North-West as well as the eastern parts of the Free State on Friday‚” said the weather service.

The weather service advised residents to exercise caution in the parts of the country experiencing heavy rain.

- This is a developing story