Panicked Gautengers closed up shop early and battened down the hatches in preparation for a tornado or hurricane which was rumoured to strike at 5pm on Monday afternoon.
However, in an emphatic rebuttal of the hoax emails and SMSes which had people spooked, the South African Weather Service said: "There is neither a hurricane nor a tornado warning issued."
"These rumours are wildly exaggerated," said forecaster Mark Todd.
The Mail & Guardian online reported receiving an email on Monday reading: "Please take this serious. A weather warning has just been issued by Netcare 911. Within the next hour we will have a temperature drop of 10 degrees. And we will have a severe storm early this afternoon... Please be careful as a tornado dropped in Randfontein on Saturday and is expected today."
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The South African Press Association's (Sapa) switchboard was inundated with calls from people wanting to know if the tornado threats were true.
Radio stations resorted to broadcasting updates in an attempt to calm the public.
The first peals of thunder rumbled over Johannesburg at 4.20pm, but by then Corporate Relocations SA, in Bryanston, had sent home a number of employees reliant on public transport.
"Had we known that the tornado email was a hoax, then we would not have sent these employees home early," said managing director Corallie Pringle.
At Multichoice, in Randburg, some staff were sent home before 3pm to beat the feared storm, said an employee, who asked not to be named.
Cell C staff were advised, in the interest of their safety and that of their loved ones, to "make the necessary arrangements" with their managers in light of "a high importance warning" issued regarding "serious storms".
The South African Revenue Service issued a communique informing managers to "use their discretion" in sending home staff who lived far from their offices after verifying the weather service's warning of severe storms.
"One good thing is that the roads are empty," said Sars spokesperson Adrian Lackay, as he drove to Sandton at 6pm. - Sapa
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