Jesse and Yolande Petronio are left counting the cost of extensive damage after their property on Jewel Street, Jukskei Park, was flooded and partially destroyed during heavy rainfall in the early hours of the morning [March 18]. According to Yolande, the incident occurred at around 01:30 following an intense downpour. What initially seemed like heavy rain quickly escalated into a destructive surge of water.

“We realised it wasn’t a normal downpour. We opened the patio to see what was happening and noticed that the wall had already collapsed.” Within minutes, the situation worsened. The force of the water, combined with debris, tore through sections of the property, collapsing boundary walls and washing bricks into the street.

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“Shortly after that, our power went out. The debris took out the front wall as well.” The family said they were left in the dark, uncertain whether their electrical infrastructure, including the meter box, had been damaged.

The aftermath also affected the community as bricks and rubble were scattered across the street, posing a danger to passing motorists. “There were hundreds of bricks in the road. With the help of a security guard, we had to go out in the middle of the night and clear them to prevent an accident.”

Jesse added that poor street lighting in the area made the situation even more hazardous. “Street lights here don’t work, and with water and bricks across the road, someone could easily have been seriously hurt or killed.”

Beyond the immediate damage, residents expressed growing concern about safety and security.

“The longer it takes to rebuild the wall, the more exposed we are to criminals. We’ve already had break-in attempts before. Now the property is open again, and that puts us at risk.” Ward 115 councillor Mark van der Merwe, who visited the site, said the flooding was not an isolated incident but part of a long-standing infrastructure failure.

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“This is the second time in four years that walls have collapsed, and properties have flooded here.”

Although the Fourways Review cannot confirm the exact cause of the damage as yet, Van der Merwe attributed the damage to a stormwater culvert along Juweeel Street that has remained unrepaired despite repeated reports to the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA).

“The culvert has not been fixed in four years. We are still being told about feasibility studies, which is completely unacceptable given the damage residents are suffering.” “The water is not flowing as it should. When heavy rains come, it has nowhere to go, and it ends up flooding properties like this.”

The incident has once again raised concerns about ageing and failing stormwater infrastructure in the area, particularly the collapsed culvert upstream that channels water beneath Juweel Street and into the Klein Jukskei River.

Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) was contacted for comment, Bertha Peters-Scheepers said, “The JRA is aware of the flooding, and the feasibility study is still underway. Once completed, the results will be shared with the community.”

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