Africa-Press – South-Africa. As heavy rains and flooding gripped parts of the country on Monday, authorities in Gauteng and the Western Cape remained on high alert to respond to life-threatening incidents.
Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) spokesperson Xolani Fihla told News24 they had received no road accident reports.
He confirmed the closures of Albertina Sisulu Road in Florida, which had been flooded, and Ndaba Street in Protea North, Soweto, due to structural damage.
The Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport (Gautrans) told News24 on Monday afternoon that traffic had been diverted for motorists using Hendrick Potgieter Road in Johannesburg due to structural damage from heavy rains.
Spokesperson Melitah Madiba said their team was assessing the damage and that the bridge would remain closed until it was safe for traffic.
In a statement on Facebook, BIC Security said Hendrik Potgieter Road, between Van Staden and Johan roads, had been restricted to two lanes.
They said:
Meanwhile, the Mossel Bay municipality in the Western Cape also confirmed road closures after rainfall of 32mm, which resulted in flooding in Marsh Street.
The Meiringspoort pass on the N12 was closed as a precautionary measure to prevent potential damage.
SA Weather Service forecaster Kanyisa Makubalo said they had issued yellow level-3 and level-5 warnings for the entire Western Cape and parts of the Namaqua area.
“These are warnings for severe thunderstorms. Impact includes heavy downpours, flash flooding, damage to infrastructure, disruption of essential services, and loss of livestock and crops for areas with farms, danger to life, especially for fast-flowing streams,” Makubalo said.
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