Residents in parts of River Park learned just how quickly an ordinary, cloudy day can turn into chaos.
Within 20 minutes, they went from watching dark skies gather to picking up shovels and scraping thick layers of hail from their doorways.

That was the reality for families along Madopi Road and Sandlana Street on March 17, when massive rainfall, accompanied by hail, struck the area. The hail piled up so fast that Madopi Road near Alex Mall became impassable, while homes and a shop in Alexandra were flooded.

Read more: Hailstorm wreaks havoc in Alexandra

“It was bad. The water was everywhere, and now everything is wet, the blankets, the wardrobes,” said resident Lucky Mdakana. She described how the storm began: dark clouds sweeping in, heavy rain blurring her vision, and hail pounding the streets. “It was very dark. I couldn’t even see the nearby house clearly. It was going to be impossible for me to find my way,” she said. When she finally returned home, her bedroom and toilet were flooded, and carpets and blankets were soaked.

The lower-lying houses suffered most, as water rushed down from higher slopes. The more it rained, the more likely residents were to find their floors submerged.

Motorists along Sheridan Road, which extends from Alex Mall, were forced to seek alternative routes as thick ice obstructed traffic. The accumulation of trapped water in several yards worsened the flooding.

Ronnie Chauke, owner of Big Tuck shop, described how his store and adjacent rooms were inundated. “All of the rooms on the side of the store were flooded. They were all affected,” he explained. While his shop escaped major damage, the residents’ furniture in the flooded rooms was destroyed.

Also read: Huge hailstorm and severe flooding hits areas of Joburg

On Sandlana Street, the situation was equally dire. “All of these houses were flooded. In some houses, the water was almost knee–deep. It was a disaster,” said resident Mahlodi Mohale.

Videos seen by Alex News show water seeping into rooms even on higher slopes. Mohale explained that hail blocked the exit points, including gaps beneath gates, trapping water inside yards. As the rain continued, the rising water eventually breached homes.

Residents acknowledged that although there were no reported injuries, the storm was a scathing reminder of how quickly disaster can strike and how vulnerable their community remains.

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