URGENT: Flash Flood Alert Issued for Mangaung and Lejweleputswa Following Severe Torrential Downpours

BLOEMFONTEIN / WELKOM — The South African Weather Service (SAWS) in conjunction with the Free State Provincial Disaster Management Centre has activated emergency response protocols following intense, sustained cloudbursts that have dumped in excess of 85mm of rainfall across Mangaung and surrounding districts within five hours.

Emergency medical services and search-and-rescue units have been pre-positioned along notorious low-water crossings in Heidedal, Rocklands, and southern Bloemfontein, where stormwater drainage networks have reached complete saturation.

Immediate Travel Advisories

Motorists are advised to observe the following critical precautions immediately:

• Avoid crossing any bridges where water is flowing over the asphalt surface. Vehicles can be swept away in as little as 30 centimetres of moving water.
• The Curie Avenue subway and several sections of Church Street have been temporarily barricaded by Mangaung Metro Traffic Police.
• Commuters traveling between Welkom and Virginia should expect heavy delays due to standing water on the R73.

Municipal emergency control lines have confirmed that shelters are being prepared in community halls should evacuations be necessitated in informal settlements adjacent to river catchments.

Residents requiring emergency assistance can contact the Provincial Disaster Operations Room on 0800 111 911 or the local metro call center.