Ekurhuleni urges caution amid severe weather – SABC News – Breaking news, special reports, world, business, sport coverage of all South African current events. Africa's news leader.
The City of Ekurhuleni Disaster and Emergency Management Services (DEMS) is urging residents to remain vigilant as severe weather conditions continue across the city. This follows a Yellow Level 2 warning from the South African Weather Service (SAWS) for severe thunderstorms and very low temperatures.
Severe weather has caused widespread power outages, leading to a high volume of calls to our customer service center.
We are dispatching teams to all affected areas, repairing faults to restore suppy, and around the clock to resolve network issues.
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DEMS Spokesperson William Ntladi says some parts of Ekurhuleni are already experiencing heavy downpours and strong winds. He says residents are also being urged to exercise caution when using heaters to keep warm.
“Switch off all heat sources when going to bed. Avoid making open fires outside, as strong winds can cause flames to spread rapidly and turn a small fire into a much larger one,” says Ntladi.
Weather forecast for tomorrow, 11 Aug 2026:
Cloudy and cold to cool with 30-60% showers and rain over the central, E and parts of RSA but 80% in the SE and E parts. Snowfall is expected in the mountainous areas of the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu Natal, Mpumalanga and Free State.#saws pic.twitter.com/Q4GVf38lff
He says the spacing between structures is also important to consider. In areas such as informal settlements, where structures are built closely together, fires can spread rapidly to many homes in the neighbourhood.
“Avoid throwing lit cigarette butts away carelessly, as dry vegetation can easily ignite and cause massive veld fires, particularly during strong winds,” he adds.
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