Relentless rainfall has turned rivers and streams across Mpumalanga into deadly traps, prompting police to issue an urgent warning to communities after three people died and another remains missing in separate flood-related incidents across the province. Provincial SAPS spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Jabu Ndubane said all the incidents were recorded between January 1. He explained that in one case, a 19-year-old teenage boy had been drinking with his two brothers at a tavern in Louisville on the evening of January 1 before deciding to walk home alone.
“It is believed that while trying to cross a river, he was overwhelmed by strong water currents due to heavy rainfall and was swept away,” Ndubane said. He added that the teenager’s body was discovered the following day, January 2, at around 11:30 by community members and relatives. “He was positively identified by his uncle, and EMS certified him deceased,” he said.
Ndubane said a second incident was reported later that same night, at about 23:00 on January 1, along Lilly Mine Road. He explained that a red-and-blue Toyota Condor carrying two men and a woman was swept away by floodwaters while attempting to cross a bridge.
