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- Large parts of Tshwane have reported incidents of flooding after heavy rain on Friday evening.
- Eerste Fabriek informal settlement in Mamelodi has been affected the worst.
- However, residents who have been trapped by the floods have refused to allow authorities to rescue them.
Around 60 residents from Eerste Fabriek informal settlement in Mamelodi who were trapped on the roofs of their shacks after heavy flooding have refused to allow authorities to rescue them.
Several areas around the city became flooded after heavy rain hit Tshwane on Friday evening.
Tshwane's Emergency Medical Services spokesperson, Charles Mabaso, told News24 that multiple flooding incidents were reported, including in Centurion, near to the Hennops River and Mamelodi.
One of the most affected areas is Eerste Fabriek, which is situated along the banks of a river that flows through Mamelodi.
The informal settlement is notorious for flooding. On 9 December 2019, floods destroyed more than 700 shacks in Eerste Fabriek and displaced about 1 300 people.
WATCH | At least 700 shacks destroyed by floods in Mamelodi informal settlement
And the latest flooding in Tshwane didn't spare the informal settlement either.
Mabaso told News24 that several shacks became submerged in water and as a result, several people were displaced.
He added that around 60 people had climbed onto their roofs to escape the flooding.
However, those trapped by the floods in the informal settlement have refused to be rescued, according to Mabaso.
Mabaso said that the South African Police Services attempted to evacuate the trapped people by helicopter, but their help was refused.
Later, Tshwane EMS divers were sent to save the stranded residents, but they too were turned away.
Mabaso added that the City was negotiating with the residents to have them evacuated and moved to temporary shelters.
READ | Gauteng floods: Two bags of clothes and birth certificates is all one family could salvage
There have been no reported cases of missing persons or injuries so far.
Mabaso said their teams were on the ground and that the Tshwane disaster centre had been activated at level three.
Tshwane Mayor Randall Williams said that the EMS department was spread out across Tshwane since the early hours of Saturday morning to respond to the flooding.
"Under the leadership of MMC Grandi Theunissen, the department has been coordinating rescue and evacuation efforts. This can involve assisting residents who have had their cars trapped, helping people escape flooded homes or even responding to incidents where trees have collapsed," Williams said.
Williams added that Tshwane mayoral committee member for human settlements Abel Tau and social development mayoral committee member Peggy de Bruin were also on the ground, engaging with the community to see where services could be offered, including temporary accommodation and social relief to those affected.
While Eerste Fabriek appears to be the most affected, flooding reports have also come through from Waverly and Centurion.
Mabaso said that Centurion Lake Hotel had also been affected by the floods. In the 2019 floods, guests and staff were evacuated from the hotel after the parking lot and reception became flooded.
Meanwhile, the fire and emergency management services in the City of Ekurhuleni rescued four people who were trapped in a flooded vehicle in Old Pretoria Road in the Olifantsfontein industrial area.
??Do you know what to do in a flood??? pic.twitter.com/fFuJ36rYlq
— CITY OF EKURHULENI (@City_Ekurhuleni) February 4, 2022
Ekurhuleni EMS spokesperson William Ntladi said they were not injured.
"Secondary to that, on Midstream Ridge Drive, a search of sedan occupants is under way. SAPS' water wing and rescuers from Olifantsfontein fire station are busy conducting a search of possible three occupants of a sedan who are currently missing," Ntladi added.
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