Mangaung Metro spokesperson, Qondile Khedama, says municipal workers had to open trenches in order to allow the flow of water in some areas.

Khedama says the municipality is trying its utmost best to have its emergency services on the ground to deal with any challenges that might arise due to more rains. He says the municipality will also use its graders to level some of the gravel roads.

“But we also want to, as the city, take this opportunity to apologise to those people who are affected by the flooding at the Forte Bridge. We'll continuously scrutinise the situation just to make sure that at least there’s work done from the disaster management point of view. Teams are there, we are trying to make sure that we are able to disperse the teams, we do so immediately.”

Motorists urged to be cautious

Meanwhile, the Department of Public Safety and Transport Management in the North West is warning motorists to be cautious when travelling on the N18 linking Mahikeng and Vryburg because of the recent flooding.

The spokesperson for the department, Boitshoko Moremi, says, “the N18 just outside Mahikeng is submerged at the same spot where there is a stop and go. Motorists are urged to slow down as they approach the area. Furthermore, the bridge on the R375 road in Mareetsane is filled with water. This is due to the heavy rain experienced currently. The R375 is normally used as an alternative route when there are challenges on the N18. No incidents have been reported.”

SABC News