According to the SAWS, some parts of the Free State, Northern Cape, North West and the Vaal can expect rainfall and thunderstorms from Friday 24 March throughout the weekend, however, it will not be as bad as in the Eastern Cape. 

Only the southern and western parts of the country have been issued with yellow and orange warnings. Yellow means the impact of the rainfall might be significant and orange means the impact will be severe. 

In February, President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a national state of disaster after widespread flooding affected six of the nine provinces in South Africa.

ALSO READ: National state of disaster declared over heavy rains, flooding

The spokesperson for the Presidency, Vincent Magwenya, said at the time a national state of disaster has been declared to enable an intensive response to widespread floods in North West, the Northern Cape, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. 

Invoking the National Disaster Act gives the government additional powers, including procuring and delivering goods and services and bypassing restrictions under current law. Magwenya stated that the National Management Center has received reports of flooded homes, vehicles that have been swept away by flood water, overflowing dams and sewage facilities that have also resulted in damage to infrastructure, while farmers have also suffered crop and livestock losses.

ALSO READ: Rain affects homes, bridges and roads in Eastern Free State

In the Phumelela Municipality of Memel in the Eastern Free State, a bridge connecting the town and Newcastle floods during heavy rainfall. Pedestrians and motorists were urged not to use the bridge. 

In the Setsoto municipality, in Meqheleng outside Ficksburg and Moemaneng outside Marquard, houses in lower-lying areas are affected by the floods. Mud houses in Qwaqwa in the Maluti-A-Phofung Municipality collapsed but no injuries were reported. Service teams attended the scene to assist the affected families. 

Many families in Arlington, in the Nketoana Municipality, were affected by water that entered their homes. According to the district head of communications, Mamogolo Moshoki, the R26, R70, and R708 roads are not in good enough condition to be used. She encourages road users to avoid it.

On Friday morning, Bloemfontein's VR Med emergency services responded to several collisions in the city. One of the first collisions was on DF Malherbe Road, then on the corner of Nelson Mandela Avenue and Melville Road, next to Engen, in Aliwal Street next to SASSA, and at Kolbe Avenue and Victoria Road, next to HTS Louis Botha. Another collision happened on Nelson Mandela Avenue on the bridge across the N1, followed by another at Kingsway next to the Mangaung Oval.

OFM News