Pretoria - The South African Weather Service has warned residents of Pretoria to expect more rain and cold weather for the remainder of this week.
It said the rain might subside during the weekend, with little or no rain expected next week. The “weatherman” further advised that the constant rain and saturated ground would make conditions fertile for flooding.
“If there will be more than normal rainfall like storms and strong winds, we will issue warnings to the public,” it said.
Tshwane Emergency Services said they responded to the incident of a flooded home near Moot and Ribben streets on Tuesday morning.
Spokesperson Charles Mabaso said they were told there was water inside the house. However, on arrival they found that the owner of the house had already channelled water out.
Mabaso also said they received a call from Centurion, where a cyclist said a runner seemed to have fallen into the river in Die Hoewes close to the highway.
“We sent out a team to investigate and found a man in the water. He was in a stable condition, and we rescued him.
“It’s not clear how he fell into the river; we think he must have been robbed and thrown in. We did however transport him to the hospital,” Mabaso added.
He advised motorists and residents to stay at home during the rainy weather.
“The most basic warning is that if there’s nothing of importance to do out there, rather stay at home and let this rainy time pass. Be cautious of crossing flooded low water bridges. If the bridge is flooded or water is flowing around the bridge and you are not sure of the depth, make a U-turn and find an alternative route, especially if it is at night.”
Mabaso said they had noticed that many roads were developing potholes, even where there were none before, so motorists must be on the lookout for potholes, and minimise speed and following distances.
“I have noted potholes on Southpan Road between Ga-Motla Village and past the Mabopane fuel service station; they might be very dangerous. Those are heavy traffic routes so motorists must be very careful on those routes during this rainfall.”
Pretoria News