Stage 4 load shedding and Joburg storm causes havoc on roads

Stage four load shedding implemented by Eskom, exacerbated by the Joburg storm, caused traffic chaos on Johannesburg’s roads on Wednesday morning.

Stage 4 load shedding

There was a plethora of accidents reported resulting in huge delays on all major routes.

While some traffic lights were affected by the load shedding, motorists took to social media to complain to the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) about others which were out of order.

ALSO READ: Load shedding stage 4 to start at 9am

The South African Weather Service warned there was a 60% chance of showers and thundershowers, especially over Johannesburg on Wednesday morning and late afternoon.

With the wet weather conditions, Johannesburg Emergency Services (JMS) urged motorists and residents to take extra precautions during adverse weather conditions.

Joburg storm

Spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi said all emergency services will be on standby for any incident.

“It’s raining in most parts of the city of Johannesburg, most roads are wet and slippery. We just want to urge all our motorists to exercise caution while driving, extend a safe following distance and also try and avoid crossing bridges which may have flooded overnight.”

Mulaudzi also urged residents, especially those in informal settlements and low-lying areas to take extra precautions.

“Our residents in our low-lying areas must monitor the water level in those areas and also avoid crossing manmade bridges and be on the lookout for pedestrians.

“From our side as the city of Johannesburg emergency services, we will remain on high alert monitoring all regions of the city to make sure we respond to any water-related emergencies which may occur”.

Tropical Storm Gombe

Meanwhile, the South African Weather Service (Saws) said Tropical Storm Gombe made landfall over northern Madagascar on Tuesday.

Gombe poses no imminent threat to South Africa and is expected to move into the Mozambique Channel on Wednesday.

ALSO READ: Tropical storm Gombe poses no direct threat to SA – weather service