Pretoria - City of Tshwane’s Emergency Services Department are searching for a man who was swept away by the Apies River, near the Pretoria Zoological Gardens on Thursday afternoon.
“This is the second incident in the vicinity of the Pretoria Zoo in a period of less than a week. Another man drowned when the river swept him away on Friday, February 3, and he was recovered in Pretoria North on Saturday, February 4,” said spokesperson Thabo Charles Mabaso.
He said the extensive search for the man was called off on Thursday evening because of poor visibility and high and fast-flowing waters.
“The search is continuing today under the command of the South African Police Service (SAPS) K9 and Diving Unit.
“The Hennops River in Centurion burst its banks, leading to flooding and the closure of multiple roads before two cars were stuck on Blackwood and Lyttelton Road. The occupants of both vehicles evacuated safely.
“Rabie Street, End Avenue and Blackwood Road were closed at the time of the release of this statement and the water levels in Blackwood Road were dropping but still high,” said Mabaso.
He said, once again, motorists around Tshwane are urged to desist from crossing flooded low-water bridges.
“We are making a repeated call to motorists to desist from crossing flooded low-water bridges, and risk losing their lives and those of their passengers as well as their assets. We also make a repeated call on those who find shelter under bridges near rivers to evacuate the rivers when it rains,” said Mabaso.
“Dial 107 toll-free to report a fire or life-threatening emergency,” he added.
Earlier today, IOL reported that more rain is expected to fall over the southern escarpment of the Eastern Cape, central and eastern parts of KwaZulu-Natal, the Lowveld and escarpment of Mpumalanga as well as the eastern and northern parts of Limpopo province.
The SA Weather Service (Saws) has issued an Orange Level 5 warning of disruptive rainfall leading to flooding of roads and both formal and informal settlements.
IOL