The City of Tshwane Emergency Services Department says one person has tragically died, after a roof collapsed following a severe hailstorm. The storm follows a Yellow Level 4 severe thunderstorms that was issued by the South African Weather Service (SAWS) at the weekend.
“A tragic incident was responded to at Bronkhorstspruit in Region 7, where one person was found deceased after the roof collapsed because of strong winds and hailstorm,” said emergency services spokesperson, Nana Radebe-Kgiba.
The incident come as the city has concluded a situational assessment, which found that the storm caused widespread localised disruptions across multiple regions, including blocked drains, excessive hail accumulation on roads, trees blocking roads and infrastructure damage. The Emergency Services says it responded to several emergency calls related to storm impacts across most parts of the municipality.
“The Emergency Services Department together with the Regional Operations Coordination Department, are currently on the ground coordinating efforts to ensure clearing of roads, removing and cutting of trees to restore accessibility, assisting residents dealing with infrastructure damage and flooded households,” explained the spokesperson.
According to the municipality, the hailstorm affected five regions, region 2: Doornpoort, Wonderboom, Sinoville, Annlin and Montana, region 3: Danville, Daspoort, Atteridgeville, Lotus Gardens, region 4: Centurion, region 5: K54 Road and region 7: Bronkhorstspruit.
Residents in these regions faced significant storm-related challenges, such as blocked stormwater drains, excessive hail deposits on main and secondary roads, localised flooding in low-lying areas, obstructed routes requiring clearing and traffic management interventions.
Meanwhile, the municipality has warned that it has received another Level 2 warning of severe thunderstorms on Monday from the SAWS.
“Severe thunderstorms are expected today with 60% chances of rain occurring in Tshwane,” cautioned the municipality.
