Yumna Moosa – yumna@radioislam.co.za

 12 December 2022 | 1 minute read | 20.00pm CAT

The South African weather service has warned of more heavy rains expected in Gauteng and other parts of the country. Since last week the weather has resulted in infostructure loss, damage to property and vehicles , and people having to be rescued from their flooded homes. Emergency services have been working around the clock in the areas most affected such as Lenasia, Eldorado Park, Roodeport and Alexander.

Nana Radebe (spokesperson for Johannesburg Emergency Services) joined Radio Islam International on Monday to speak more on the matter. She says that there has been a confirmed number of 15 fatalities since last week Saturday, including a police officer who drowned during the weekend.

“We’ve been working around the clock to make sure the city of Johannesburg is covered. We have had major incidents in Soweto on Friday where a number of people called to say that they were trapped in their houses due to the area being flooded. When we arrived, we found the water at window-level. We are very fortunate to not have a huge number of fatalities or number of people injured.”

The spokesperson says blankets and necessities have started being distributed to those who have lost their homes and shelter. However most residents were unable to vacate their households due to the fear of losing their belongings. In the meanwhile, a large number of teams have been formed to prepare for the expected continuation of heavy rains.

Listen to the full interview on the Radio Islam International SoundCloud