A wet Christmas awaits, weather forecaster says

Could Gauteng have a wet Christmas? Weather forecasters seem to believe so.

According to South African Weather Service forecaster Molebohene Manthata, downpours and thunderstorms are expected to continue until next week, with cloudy and rainy weather on the cards in the interior of the country.

“We are not expecting any severity from the current storm cell,” she said.

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“However, the rain will continue until next week when we expect scattered to widespread showers and thundershowers.

“We are expecting a wet Christmas, with between an 80% and 60% chance of rain. It could change closer to the time.”

Manthata said intense thunderstorms were not unusual in the summer. “It depends on the intensity of the storms and the impact, such as hail, damaging winds or heavy downpours, whether a warning is issued,” she said.

The heavy rain on Tuesday over parts of Tshwane left three of its healthcare facilities structurally damaged and parts were flooded. Gauteng department of health spokesperson Motalatale Modiba confirmed that no patients or staff members had been injured.

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“The department wishes to inform the public, particularly in Tshwane, that Odi District Hospital in Mabopane and three other primary healthcare facilities experienced extensive damages due to a storm that happened overnight on Tuesday,” he said.

Modiba said the extent of the damage at Odi included a collapsed ceiling in one of the sections of the hospital and the roof leaked in some wards.

“Part of the hospital’s palisade fence has also been damaged,” he said.

Modiba said the primary healthcare facilities damaged were Sedilega Clinic in Mabopane, Soshanguve Block TT Clinic and KT Motubatse Clinic in Soshanguve.

“The extent of the damages at all these three facilities includes damage to the roofs and ceilings, which has resulted in the wards being waterlogged…

“The dysfunctional storm water channels are also flooding the clinics,” he said. Modiba said the department had dispatched officials from the Infrastructure Unit to assess the damage.

“Due to the weather forecast predicting more heavy rains … it is difficult to estimate timelines to refurbish the facilities,” he said.

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Health services would continue as normal for now. Tshwane Emergency Services spokesperson Charles Mabaso said they had received reports of waterlogged yards in Mapone Block X and Hebron Block U.

Mabaso said flooding was reported in other parts of the city, but the water had subsided overnight. “A vehicle was stuck in water in Die Hoewes in Centurion, however, the driver escaped unharmed.

A towing service vehicle managed to recover the vehicle,” he said. Mabaso said his department was monitoring any downpours closely.

“The ground is slowly getting saturated and, as such, incidents of flooding may be on the rise. We urge communities to remain vigilant.”