THE defence force has been deployed to Northern Cape as heavy rains continue pelting most parts of the country.
Soldiers have also been put on stand-by in Upington as the Orange River continues to rise.
Thousands of people have been trapped on small islands as water levels continue to rise. Several families have had to be relocated.
The last time the water was this high was in 1988.
The Boegoeberg Dam near Upington has reportedly burst its banks.
Three people were reported missing from an island in the Orange River near Pella, about 200km from Upington.
About 100 families have been moved to higher ground, Department of Defence spokesperson Siphiwe Dlamini said.
Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Sicelo Shiceka will today announce national disaster areas caused by the floods.
Shiceka is chairperson of the newly-established inter-Ministerial Committee which has been established to coordinate government's response to disasters afflicting some parts of the country.
"The announcement is being made on the sidelines of the extended cabinet lekgotla that will take place at the same venue from today until Thursday.
"The affected provinces in terms of the declaration are Gauteng, Free State, North West, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, and Northern Cape," the IMC said in a statement yesterday.
According to the SA Weather Services heavy rains are expected to fall in Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West and Western Cape today.
There were no alerts for Northern Cape, Eastern Cape, Free State and KwaZulu-Natal.
There is an 80percent chance of rain in Johannesburg today.
Meanwhile, the body of one of the four people washed away while trying to cross the raging Lepelle River in Limpopo last week has been found.
The incident happened between Taung and Masehleng village when a man, two women and a baby fell into the overflowing river on January 9 because one of the trees from which a makeshift cable was tied was uprooted.
Another man survived by swimming out while the four were swept away.
Yesterday Colonel Motlafela Mojapelo said the body was found by members of the community. Mojapelo identified the victim as 19-year-old Beauty Marabe who lived in GaMashamothane village near Burgersfort.
Meanwhile, Sapa reports that Northern Cape police have warned the community not to swim in flooded rivers.
This comes after a 13-year-old girl and her brother drowned while swimming in an overflowing quarry in Plooysburg yesterday, according to Lieutenant Colonel Hendrik Swart.
Soldiers deployed to flood-ravaged areas
THE defence force has been deployed to Northern Cape as heavy rains continue pelting most parts of the country.
Soldiers have also been put on stand-by in Upington as the Orange River continues to rise.
Thousands of people have been trapped on small islands as water levels continue to rise. Several families have had to be relocated.
The last time the water was this high was in 1988.
The Boegoeberg Dam near Upington has reportedly burst its banks.
Three people were reported missing from an island in the Orange River near Pella, about 200km from Upington.
About 100 families have been moved to higher ground, Department of Defence spokesperson Siphiwe Dlamini said.
Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Sicelo Shiceka will today announce national disaster areas caused by the floods.
Shiceka is chairperson of the newly-established inter-Ministerial Committee which has been established to coordinate government's response to disasters afflicting some parts of the country.
"The announcement is being made on the sidelines of the extended cabinet lekgotla that will take place at the same venue from today until Thursday.
"The affected provinces in terms of the declaration are Gauteng, Free State, North West, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, and Northern Cape," the IMC said in a statement yesterday.
According to the SA Weather Services heavy rains are expected to fall in Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West and Western Cape today.
There were no alerts for Northern Cape, Eastern Cape, Free State and KwaZulu-Natal.
There is an 80percent chance of rain in Johannesburg today.
Meanwhile, the body of one of the four people washed away while trying to cross the raging Lepelle River in Limpopo last week has been found.
The incident happened between Taung and Masehleng village when a man, two women and a baby fell into the overflowing river on January 9 because one of the trees from which a makeshift cable was tied was uprooted.
Another man survived by swimming out while the four were swept away.
Yesterday Colonel Motlafela Mojapelo said the body was found by members of the community. Mojapelo identified the victim as 19-year-old Beauty Marabe who lived in GaMashamothane village near Burgersfort.
Meanwhile, Sapa reports that Northern Cape police have warned the community not to swim in flooded rivers.
This comes after a 13-year-old girl and her brother drowned while swimming in an overflowing quarry in Plooysburg yesterday, according to Lieutenant Colonel Hendrik Swart.
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