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Platina Bridge in Jukskei Park, north of Johannesburg after heavy rain hit the area on Wednesday evening. Picture: Nigel Sibanda /The Citizen
As Joburg residents try to recover from the havoc caused by heavy rains across several parts of the city, two residents described the horror of “terrible rain and wind” and the gushing of water that left them scurrying for cover.
Heavy rains wreaked havoc on Wednesday, flooding parts of Johannesburg.
Floodwaters affected several areas, including Randpark Ridge, Newlands, Strubens Valley, Weltevredenpark, Jukskei Park and Witkoppen Road.
Rina Raath, who experienced the flooding in Weltevreden Park, told The Citizen it was a frightening experience.
Raath said the adverse weather conditions destroyed a boundary wall at her house.
She said when her daughter arrived home from work, they just stood and watched the horror unfold.
“The terrible rain first started, and it was pouring, and then all of a sudden, this terrible wind came. There was nothing we could do, we just stood and saw the wall coming down. It looked like the Vaal River coming down.”
Raath said the water level was about a metre high.
“In the living room, the water was like rivers in the house, with the mud and sand and stuff… What can you do? This is nature, you must maar just be happy that you are still alive. My father said you must have respect for nature.”
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Another Weltevreden Park resident, Patience Immaculate Mujeni, told The Citizen that she was at home when she heard a massive “boom”.
“I was sitting inside the lounge, so I heard a loud noise, boom, and I saw water coming. I thought it was a tree that fell inside the swimming pool. I was sitting with my older son and he was like ‘mummy, water is coming inside the house.’
“I thought it was just water that was coming from the swimming pool, let me take a blanket and put it by the door. But, by the time I was trying to reach for the blanket, there was water everywhere, I checked the kitchen, the door was broken. Water was just rushing in. I just did not know what to do,” said Mujeni.
Mujeni said the water was up to her knees and that she and her family feared for their lives.
“I was trying to get my kids to pick up some things from the floor in their rooms, but it was too late. Fortunately, we have an upstairs, so I told them to climb upstairs and wait for the water to subside. My one son was traumatised.”
She said most of her furniture and appliances are damaged, while there is also a collapsed wall in her yard.
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There were several reports of wall collapses in Joburg.
City of Johannesburg spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi said there were reports of a wall collapse in Honey Bee residential complex and in Randpark Ridge on Dale Lace Avenue.
“No injuries were reported,” he said.
In a video shared with The Citizen, a wall collapsed in Randpark Ridge, resulting in horses running free in a residential complex. The complex has a plot next to it.
In Jukskei Park, north of Johannesburg, the Platina Bridge was flooded by the heavy rains, with one motorist almost being washed away.
Mulaudzi said two motorists had to be rescued when their bakkies got trapped in water along low-lying bridges.
“One was rescued while trying to cross the Jukskei Platina Bridge along Witkoppen Road, Jukskei Park. The other one was rescued in Weltevredenpark. Both motorists were trying to cross low-lying bridges.”
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The concrete barricades on the Platina Bridge were swept away as the Klein Jukskei River burst its banks during the storm.
However, nobody was injured. The motorist who was washed away was saved by the emergency team. His car had to be pulled out of the river by a tow truck.
“That man was very lucky that he was not swept away. It’s good that he did not come out of his car otherwise something terrible would have happened to him,” said a female resident who asked to remain anonymous.
One Jukskei Park resident, Kyle Woodward, suffered damage to his property when water came rushing into his Robyn Street house. It happened to him several times before during heavy storms, he said.
DA Ward 115 Councillor Mark Van der Merwe said a similar storm hit the area on 8 March 2023 but the bridge was not repaired. The damage is now worse than two years ago, he added.
“This storm comes every two years. We need a permanent solution for this damaged bridge,” said Van der Merwe while surveying the scene.
An estate agent, Richard Neumann, said he has never seen such destruction in the area in the 25 years he has lived and worked at Riverglades Estate in Jukskei Park. “I have seen storms in the past, but nothing compares to this.
“The river pushed down huge trees, concrete barricades and severed electricity lines, fibres and telecommunication wires, leaving the area without electricity and communication means,” he said.
The Platina Bridge has been closed and blocked with concrete barricades, forcing a barrier between Jukskei Park and Fourways.
In Newlands, west of Joburg, some shops struggled to contain the storm water that rushed into their businesses.
Sihle Mvelase said water flowed into his dry cleaning business minutes after he closed on Wednesday afternoon. The floodwater damaged many of his customers’ clothes.
Meanwhile, the South African Weather Services (SAWS) has warned of more heavy rains across Gauteng.
SAWS warned of severe thunderstorms in Gauteng, North West, Mpumalanga and Limpopo.
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