By OBAKENG MAJE
5 January 2025- Patients in the maternity ward at Moses Kotane Hospital in Ledig village, near Rustenburg, were affected by flooding. This comes after water entered the facility through the sliding door and disrupted the smooth running of healthcare services on Saturday.
However, the North West Department of Health spokesperson, Lucas Mothibedi said it is true that the hospital has experienced a flooding incident in the maternity section yesterday due to heavy rainfall that overwhelmed the facility’s drainage system.
Mothibedi said the flooding occurred when water entered through the sliding door and a blocked drain, creating a temporary disruption in the area.
“We are pleased to report that the situation has been promptly addressed. The hospital’s dedicated cleaning team acted swiftly to drain the water, ensuring that the environment was restored to its normal condition.
“Importantly, no patients were affected during this incident, and all maternity services continued without interruption,” he said.
Meanwhile, the South African Weather Service (SAWS) spokesperson, Oupa Segalwe warned that heavy rains are expected. Segwale said they want to alert motorists returning to economic activities, pedestrians and the public to be aware of heavy, disruptive rain across the central and eastern regions of South Africa from this Sunday to at least Wednesday (5 to 8 January 2025).
“The expected persistent rainfall, with associated risks, emphasises the need for caution and preparedness among all road users and the public. Scattered (60%) and widespread (80%) showers and thundershowers are expected on Sunday across the central and eastern regions of South Africa.
“These regions include North West, the Free State, KwaZulu-Natal and the southern parts of Mpumalanga and Gauteng. Weather forecast for Sunday, 5 January 2025, where scattered to widespread showers and thundershowers can be expected over the central interior as well as the eastern parts of the country,” he said.
Segalwe further said there is a likelihood of a significant increase in rainfall accumulation is suggested, with amounts ranging from 50 to 70 mm. He added that to this effect, road flooding, slippery surfaces, and broad flash flooding are possible. The use of vehicle headlights, while driving at a reasonably low speed, will be useful during the showery conditions.
“Motorists should ensure clear windscreens, as traffic and road markings could be difficult to see during the occurrence of heavy rain, even for vehicles with properly working wipers, in some instances. Further, it is inevitable that some low-water bridges could overflow, with powerful water currents that could sweep away vehicles and lead to loss of lives and property.
“It is strongly advised that motorists do not enter flooded low-water bridges or roads. Projected rainfall accumlations for Sunday (5 January 2025) where amounts of 50 to 70 mm can be anticipated. Usually, summer thundershowers are confined to the afternoon and early evening hours,” said Segwale.
He said, however, the continuous flow of warm moist air (tropical moisture) to South Africa from countries to the north is expected to cause showers at any time of the day. Segwale said this means that ordinary or even heavy showers could be expected even between 6pm in the evening and 1am in the early morning.
“According to the Road Traffic Management Centre (RTMC), these are the critical hours that road users should avoid driving. For this festive season, a higher number of road fatalities than previous years, has already been reported, and the SAWS, in collaboration with the RTMC, would like to urge motorists, pedestrians and the public to be extra vigilant and careful on the roads during these conditions to prevent the further loss of lives.
“The rainfall distribution is anticipated to remain scattered to widespread across the central and eastern regions of the country on Monday, 6 January 2025. These conditions will most likely be accompanied by the persistence of disruptive rain and localised flooding across North West, the Free State, Gauteng as well as the western Bushveld of Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and KwaZulu-Natal,” he said.
The Guardian 