Joburg motorists urged to be cautious as rain and power cuts come into play

As the rain continues across Gauteng on Wednesday morning, Eskom has now escalated rolling power cuts to stage four and extended it until next week, while at the same time, emergency services and traffic officials have warned motorists to be cautious on the road.

The weather service said that was a 60% chance of showers and thundershowers, especially over Johannesburg, in the morning and late afternoon.

The roads are slippery, traffic lights in some areas might be on the blink and motorists are being urged to avoid flooded roads.

The weather service’s Venicia Pakula said that there was also a chance of hail falling in Gauteng.

“We’re not expecting that hail to cause any damage and there’s also a possibility that we might see pooling on roads,” Pakula said.

The Johannesburg Metro Police Department’s Xolani Fihla is urging motorists not to speed in this rainy weather and to keep safe following distance.

“Avoid extremely flooded roads and low-lying bridges and with these wet and slippery conditions added with the rotational blackouts, motorists can expect congestion on the roads,” Fihla said.

At the same time, emergency services are on high alert to assist anyone affected by the rain.

Joburg EMS’s Robert Mulaudzi: “Our residents in ur low-lying areas to monitor water levels in those areas and also avoid crossing man-made bridges.”

For now, Eskom will continue to switch off some parts of the country for a few hours on stage four, to build up energy reserves, as it is unable to meet the electricity demand.

-EWN

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