Flash floods leave 6 dead, 1 missing
JOHANNESBURG: Six people are dead and one small child missing after being swept away in flash floods as torrential rain continues to batter parts of Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni.
Yao-Heng Michael Sun, the City of Johannesburg’s member of the mayoral committee for public safety, confirmed these figures yesterday, saying rescuers were still searching.
Johannesburg metro police spokesperson Edna Mamonyane said two bodies, one of a man and another of a woman, were recovered on the N3 during the flood yesterday.
More than 1 000 cars were left abandoned on the N3 as motorists fled.
Houses and garages were flooded and a portion of a wall at Johannesburg Zoo collapsed.
The road leading to the airport was also inundated, leading to flights being delayed.
The local authorities promised to clear the affected roads.
The last of the cars was removed early yesterday morning, closing the freeway to traffic until 5am.
Mamonyane said it was assumed those killed had been involved in a crash when a truck rammed into vehicles during the floods.
She confirmed this was not the case, even though many cars spinning on the road had also been swept away by water.
“When our specialised team arrived at the scene, they found that there had not been an accident,” she said.
Mamonyane said the worst-affected areas had been the N3, Jan Smuts and the M1 between Atholl and Corlett.
“On Jan Smuts the zoo wall collapsed and on the M1 people were stuck on the road,” Mamonyane said.
Gift of the Givers helped emergency teams with the rescue operation. They prepared hot meals for about 1 000 affected people and were to distribute blankets in Alexandra.
The ANC has conveyed condolences to the families of the deceased, and said they extend their solidarity to all other injured and affected motorists and communities.
The Johannesburg Zoo said yesterday it would remain open after its boundary wall on Jan Smuts Avenue collapsed in Parkview.
Johannesburg Zoo acting head Oscar van Heerden said the animals were secure because they could not gain access to the road as there was another fence.
“No animals escaped as there is another fence blocking their path,” Dube said, adding that the zoo would rebuild the boundary wall.
In a tweet, the Johannesburg Zoo said it opened at 10am yesterday.
“The zoo thanks you for your concern for the animals. We want to assure you that all is fine, our vets are attending to stressed animals,” the zoo said on Twitter.
The South African Weather Service issued a warning yesterday that more heavy rains could be expected in Gauteng.