Krugersdorp experienced heavy rainfall on the evening of Monday, November 29 which continued throughout the night, leading to various levels of flooding across town, few as serious as on Chamdor Road.

Long-time residents are by now well acquainted with the flooding of the subway under the railway bridge close to the Chamdor and Albertina Sisulu Roads and the Frederick Cooper Drive and Voortrekker Road intersections.

Just before 08:00 on Tuesday, November 30, a man driving to work in a Mercedes-Benz C200 four-door saloon attempted to drive through the subway.

The man (who wished to remain anonymous) was shocked more than anything else and remained fairly calm as he explained to the News that the subway seemed safe to drive through, noting that the road had not been cordoned off and that the water seemed shallow enough that it would not even reach his car door.

He said by the time the Mercedes-Benz’s nose dipped into the water it was too late for him to back out and the car floated towards the deepest part of the pool of water. Realising his situation, he forced open his car door as water was already seeping in, and climbed onto the roof.

Nearby pedestrians quickly assisted him, getting into the muddy pool to help him off and out. A small delivery truck blocked off the road on the Chamdor side while a towing service blocked off the Voortrekker Road entrance. The towing service then pulled the car out and onto one of their flatbed trucks.

The News, being at the scene right after the events had played out, noted that for someone unfamiliar with that section of the road it would seem like a very shallow dip, but being filled with muddy water it would be difficult to estimate its true depth.

Gerhard Nieuwoudt, Mogale City’s Emergency Service’s Regional station commander said, “Because of the El Niño effect, which occurs with the unusual warming of surface waters in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean which affects weather patterns, there has been an above-average rainfall in the area. This will probably continue throughout November and December. At the moment the ground is saturated and this leads to flooding.”

He said that in the past few weeks the fire department had been very busy, receiving up to seven calls a night. But with the help of the local Community Policing Forums, AfriForum and reservists they generally make quick work of fallen trees and other potentially dangerous situations.

He warned road users to be careful especially in areas where they know flooding could occur. Another hazard to look out for according to Gerhard is potholes that either form or increase in size during heavy rainfall. They are not always visible when the road is covered with water and this leads to accidents.

According to Gauteng Weather on November 28, the forecast for the rest of the week is as follows:
• Tuesday: Windy and cloudy with a minimum/ maximum temperature of 14|27°C and a 37% chance for rain.
• Wednesday: Windy and cloudy with a minimum/ maximum temperature of 16|29°C and a 20% chance for rain.
• Thursday: Windy and cloudy with a minimum/ maximum temperature of 17|29°C and a 29% chance for rain.
• Friday: Windy and cloudy with a minimum/ maximum temperature of 17|30°C and a 20% chance for rain.