Johannesburg – Severe thunderstorms that hit various parts of the country on Monday afternoon left at least three people dead and eighteen injured. Several homes and buildings were also destroyed and roads flooded.
Road accidents during the bad weather conditions killed at least three people.
Netwerk24 reported that an accident near Silverstar Casino in Krugersdorp claimed the life of one person. Gauteng traffic police spokesperson Busaphi Nxumalo said two other people had also died near the Cradle of Humankind in the West Rand at around 19:00.
In Delmas, Mpumalanga, six people sustained minor to moderate injuries after a small business was damaged.
A man and his two children sustained minor to serious injuries after their house collapsed during a storm in Bapsfontein, Ekurhuleni.
Two other people sustained minor to moderate injuries after the external structure of the Cradlestone Mall in Krugersdorp collapsed.
Free State storm warning
Several houses around Gauteng and a complex in Ruimsig, west of Johannesburg, were damaged.
Roads in and around Johannesburg were flooded.
Read more about Tuesday’s predicted weather conditions here
Netwerk24 reported that a worker at Protearif Primary School in Krugersdorp was seriously injured and a teacher and two other learners sustained minor cuts after their school suffered damage during the storm on Monday.
Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department spokesperson Kobeli Mokheseng said a power station in Jet Park, east of Johannesburg, had exploded due to the storm.
The explosion affected traffic lights in the area.
The South African Weather Service issued an alert stating that a severe thunderstorm with possible hail and strong winds was expected over the south west of the Free State on Monday evening.