Trees toppled, walls collapsed and roads flooded as storms wreak havoc in Joburg

Cleanup operations are underway in several parts of Johannesburg after severe storms on Monday afternoon which left a trail of destruction .

Trees were toppled, walls collapsed and roads were flooded. 

Mop-up operations are still underway in various parts of the city after some homes were flooded.

Johannesburg emergency services spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi said no fatalities were reported.

“The storm was bad, but we didn't have any fatalities or major incidents that needed us to rescue anyone,” Mulaudzi said. 

A nursery owner from Northcliff, Jenny Badenhorst, was counting her losses on Tuesday morning.

“All my plants were damaged. All that is left is to do a big cleanup this morning. It was a terrible storm,” Badenhorst told TimesLIVE.

She said the storm hit just after 2.30pm on Monday, with heavy rain, followed by hail.

“A tree was struck by lightning and came down over the roof of the cottage. We had two storms, the first one hit and then about 20 minutes later another one hit which caused more damage.”

Meanwhile, the South African Weather Service has issued a yellow warning level 2 for severe thunderstorms and strong winds for Tuesday in Gauteng, parts of Mpumalanga, Limpopo, North West and the Free State. 

SAWS forecaster Luthando Masimini said scattered showers and thundershowers can be expected in Gauteng, with a possibility of strong winds, heavy rain and hail.

TimesLIVE