Johannesburg – Heavy rain continued to wreak havoc across Gauteng on Tuesday with many collisions being reported, roads flooded and severe traffic delays being reported.
This included a person who died and another three others who were injured when the driver of a bakkie lost control of the vehicle on London road near Alexandra.
Emer-G-Med paramedics said that the bakkie first rear-ended and that's when the driver lost control of it and hit a wire barrier.
“The bakkie spun a couple of times ejecting three people sitting in the back.”
“Unfortunately one person succumbed to his injuries and was declared dead on arrival.”
One of the passengers sustained critical injuries and was taken to hospital before being treated at the scene.
Another six people were injured when a minibus taxi driver lost control of the vehicle on the wet roads and collided with a concrete dustbin on Barry Hertzog Avenue and Sabie Road in Randburg.
Emer-G-Med said they all sustained minor injuries and were taken to hospital for medical care.
Meanwhile, with #jhbtraffic trending for most of the morning, those stuck in traffic flocked to social media to post about the delays which was exacerbated by the rainfall and caused wet and slippery driving conditions.
This included a tree which collapsed and fell onto a vehicle in William Nicol Drive in Bryanston.
Paramedics said no one was injured but that this caused a significant traffic backlog.
Also in Bryanston, River road was flooded and motorists were urged to seek an alternative route.
Other routes in the north of Joburg were also flooded such as Witkoppen road and Douglas drive while Bowling avenue to Rivonia road in Sandton was closed as a result of the flash floods.
Other areas majorly affected by traffic delays caused by the rain included parts of Gillooly’s interchange in Ekurhuleni and Wemmerpan road in the south of Joburg.
The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has issued a warning for heavy rain in several parts of the country, including Gauteng where localised flooding is possible.
Forecaster Elizabeth Webster told The Star that although a wet week was expected, most of the downpours was expected on Monday and Wednesday.
This is when an 80 % chance of showers was expected, coupled with cool temperatures which will peak in the low to mid twenties.
Other areas affected include the western parts of the North West, the central and northern parts of the Free State as well as the extreme northern parts of KwaZulu-Natal.
Webster explained that the weather warning was issued for these two days as more than 50 millimetres of rain was expected in a period of just 24 hours.
“This amount of rainfall could result in flooding.”
She said that this was considered more than usual downpours as during an average thunderstorm, only three to four millimetres of water is usually recorded.
Webster said that although the wet weather is expected to continue until Sunday, the rainfall would decrease from Wednesday.
“From Wednesday the rainfall expected will drop to 60% and cool to warm temperatures are expected.”
Meanwhile, Webster said that a warning for strong gale force winds in the south west coast was issued today as well as a fire danger for the western parts of the Western Cape which is currently experiencing hot and dry weather.
Authorities have consistently warned people to take warnings of heavy downpours seriously as recent rainfall has caused havoc in recent weeks.
Joburg Emergency Management Services spokesman Robert Mulaudzi said that people should be high alert and prepare for possible floods around the city.
He added that those living in low lying areas like the informal settlements to monitor water levels and move to the higher ground when there is a need to do so.
“We therefore urge our residents to be better prepared since we have received another alert from the South African Weather Services (SAWS) for the possibility of severe thunderstorms throughout the city of Johannesburg going into the weekend.”
@Karishma_Dipa