Johannesburg - Heavy rainfall in Gauteng overnight had left many roads flooded and people displaced from their homes on Thursday, Johannesburg emergency services said.
There had been flooding since 3am in various parts of Soweto and the Roodepoort area as well as New Canada.
About 1 200 families in Orlando West, Soweto were displaced by heavy flooding a disaster relief organisation said.
Teams and supplies were sent to the affected area on Thursday evening, in response to a request for assistance, Gift of the Givers spokeswoman Emily Thomas said in a statement.
Hot cooked meals, blankets, clothing and hygiene packs formed part of the initial response, she said.
A proper assessment of displaced families would be made on Friday morning.
Earlier on Thursday seven people and a dog had to be helped to safety after being caught by rising water.
In Soweto, Johannesburg paramedics were called to help a family whose house had flooded near Klipspruit valley Road, paramedics said.
A family of four and their pet dog were removed uninjured from their house using a rubber dingy. A woman nearby jumped into the rushing river nearby for unknown reasons, but was rescued by police.
A man was caught by the flood waters of a burst dam near the Morula Sun casino, 20km north-east of Pretoria. He found safety on a piece of concrete and waited five hours before a police helicopter rescued him.
In a similar incident, a man was also overcome by water in the Moreleta River and taken to Mamelodi Hospital.
Meanwhile the SABC reported that the R599 between Lenasia and Randfontein was closed when the slimes dam of a nearby mine cracked and started leaking, apparently because of the heavy rain. Mine engineers were on the scene.
Some rivers in Tshwane appeared to be subsiding on Thursday afternoon following forecasts of floods in the area, according to officials.
As from 1.30pm the rivers appeared to subside and there were no reports of casualties or serious injuries, safety and security spokesman William Baloyi said.
Parts of Centurion and informal settlements were of particular concern.
Baloyi said they were monitoring the townships of Soshanguve, Soutpan and other low-lying areas, as they might have to evacuate.
Although there had been no immediate reports of flooding, the Hennops River in Centurion and the Apies River in Pretoria North were being monitored, as were certain areas of Hammanskraal.
In Johannesburg parts of Soweto, Lenasia, Roodepoort and Florida were affected.
Emergency services spokesperson Percy Morokane said the Jukskei River was overflowing and the main concern was the people in the informal settlement next to it.
Heavy rains had caused flooding in the South of Lenasia. Shacks were flooded in Protea South and Klipspruit, Soweto. About seven houses were flooded in Mtipa Road.
In New Canada Road in Pennyville, three cars were stuck in a flood but emergency services managed to pull out two. Occupants of the cars managed to get out before being flooded and there were no injuries.
Morokane said the disaster management team had activated a joint operations centre in Roodepoort, where several municipal entities had work together. This team included Johannesburg water, the roads agency, metro police, emergency management, social development, housing and urban development. - Sapa