Residents in Vanderbijlpark and Vaal have been without power since Saturday because the latest floods destroyed the infrastructure for supplying energy.
According to the Department of Water and Sanitation, the Vaal Dam’s 12 sluice gates were opened over the weekend to relieve pressure caused by the heavy rainfall.
Many residences were devastated by the floodwaters, which also wrecked municipal infrastructure.
The floodwaters destroyed electrical boxes and wires in a number of villages that were affected by the downpour.
Sybrand Smit, ward councillor for the Emfuleni local municipality, claimed that despite a warning being sent, nothing could be done to lessen the effects.
There was nothing that could have been done to stop this, according to Smit: “This was just a matter of stormwater that poured down.”
When Eyewitness News drove through the damaged neighbourhoods, it was possible to see power infrastructure running alongside the Vaal River in several spots.
As the stability of the dam walls remains unclear, the water levels at the Vaal and Orange River systems continue to rise.