Residents of Gauteng woke up to a seismic event on June 11, as the earth trembled under their feet in the early morning hours.
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The earthquake recorded a 5.0 magnitude tremor, triggered 10km underground in Gauteng just before 02:38.
According to the Council for Geoscience, the earthquake hit the east of Johannesburg, registering as a magnitude 4.4 seismic event.
Reports indicate that it was felt most intensely in the direct vicinity of the epicentre, with experiences also recorded across the larger Johannesburg to Pretoria regions by members of the public.
“At this point, the CGS is assessing the reports that were submitted by the broader public via its online earthquake survey questionnaires and are engaging with some communities across Gauteng and eastern Mpumalanga to establish how widely the event was felt,” said Mahlatse Mononela, communication and stakeholder relations manager.
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CGS further recorded a number of aftershocks over the following three days, following the main event.
The aftershocks were comparatively smaller ranging in magnitudes from 1.5 to 2.7.
Some residents in Cruywagen Park, Elsburg and Lambton sustained damages to their property.
Resident Anton Britz said he was badly affected by the earthquake. His geyser was ripped from the wall and damaged some water pipes and his house sustained some cracks.
“My wife was traumatised, I’ve never seen her like that. It was a scary experience as we waited for the house to collapse at any moment. My dogs also got agitated from all that shaking,” said Britz.
He said sadly the insurance will not be covering all the damages.
“Insurance is paying but not everything I still need to fork a substantial amount from my pocket,” said Brits.
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Another place that was affected was the Wadeville licensing department leading to it being temporally closed. The tremors caused some damage to the infrastructure.
Customers who seek to utilise the licensing services are urged to use alternative centres being Alberton, Alberton or Bedfordview licensing departments.
GCN asked CGS about the possible causes of the earthquake.
“Scientific readings are currently underway to establish the most probable cause of this earthquake.
“In South Africa, we know that earthquakes are typically either naturally occurring or as a result of historical or active mining activities.
“At this point in time, we cannot attribute the cause of the earthquake to either of these known causes,” said Mononela.
