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Motorists and residents have been urged to take precautions.
One of the flooded streets in Middleburg. Picture: DA ward councillor Johann Dyason
As parts of the country experience severe thunderstorms and persistent rainfall, heavy downpours have caused mass flooding in Middelburg, Mpumalanga.
Middelburg CPF chair Juanitha Groenewald urged residents and motorists to avoid the area in Middelburg south and Mineralia.
“The fire department is monitoring the situation at the moment. There’s a lot of cars stuck at low-water bridges in and around the area,” she told The Citizen.
Groenewald said traffic had been severely affected.
“Traffic was a lot. There’s a primary school in that area and water is flowing through it. The traffic department is closing the roads.”
Groenewald said Oranje Street and Samora Machel Drive have been affected.
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While there have been reports that the Kruger Dam wall had burst, DA ward councillor Johann Dyason told The Citizen the wall is intact.
“We had 80mm of rain in the area yesterday and last night. There’s a massive flow of water into the Athlone Dam that flows through to the Kruger Dam and it’s just massive water that came through over the overflow. The dam wall did not break.
“According to the engineers, it’s stable.”
Dyson, however, confirmed that there was a crack in the Kruger Dam wall.
“We were there with the municipality about three years ago and raised our concerns, and they said they would have it checked by the relevant engineers and they said the dam wall is fine.”
Dyason said that the crack must be repaired to avoid a disaster.
“To restore the dam wall, they would have to drain it to a certain level, not everything, so that they can work on it.”
Dyason added that there have been no reports of any fatalities or injuries.
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