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Rain drops hitting the ground.
Johannesburg’s City Power has warned that the electricity grid is constrained as a result of the rainy weather.
The South African Weather Service (SAWS) issued an Orange Level 9 weather warning, for heavy rain and localised flooding on Sunday in Gauteng and three other provinces.
City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena has called for responsible usage of electricity.
“With heavy rains pouring throughout Johannesburg following a Level 9 warning by the weather authorities, it means there is a good chance of storms and flooding that could affect roads and are likely to increase electricity usage and increase the demand, placing substantial pressure on our network, potentially leading to overloading trips,” says Mangena.
Mangena says that the power system is constrained, and with cooperation from our customers, they can manage to mitigate the severe impact of heightened pressure on their network while emphasising that City Power has implemented contingency measures across all our service delivery centres to reduce the impact of the forecasted adverse weather on our infrastructure and also the response times to outages.
#CityPowerUpdates #CityPowerEngages
Customers urged to use electricity sparingly during inclement weather conditions.^NM pic.twitter.com/lO9YdqgvKF
— @CityPowerJhb (@CityPowerJhb) November 16, 2025
Meanwhile, Tshwane Emergency Services say teams are on high alert, monitoring flood-prone areas including the Hennops River.
This follows the South African Weather Service (SAWS) upgrading its warning from Orange Level 5 to Level 9 for heavy downpours.
Localised flooding is expected in Gauteng and Mpumalanga, while Level 5 alerts remain for the Free State, North West, and KwaZulu-Natal.
The city says no major incidents so far.
Tshwane EMS spokesperson Nana Kgiba urged residents living on riverbanks to exercise extreme caution.
Kgiba says they have received alerts of the Level 9 disruptive rain warning.
“We urge communities, especially those living around riverbanks, wetlands, and floodplains to immediately move to higher ground, as we have been given this alert, and it clearly states that we are going to have heavy pours which may cause flooding, and those people are at risk. Motorists as well, roads are already wet, and they are most rolls that flood, and we urge everyone that do not have anything serious to go to today, to avoid driving. We are going still to monitor our teams, our search and rescue team and swift teams are on standby to ensure that if any incident happens, we’ll be able to respond,” says Kgiba.
Happy Sunday, Tshwane! 🌧️
With the ongoing heavy rains, please avoid crossing flooded roads or low-lying bridges.
Your safety comes first.#StaySafe #FloodingTips pic.twitter.com/NzB7R12omF— City of Tshwane (@CityTshwane) November 16, 2025
Similarly, the South African Weather Service is cautioning KwaZulu-Natal residents to remain vigilant as there is still a chance of significant rainfall in the province.
This follows an alert Level 4 weather warning for disruptive rains which included the possibility of flooding.
Areas along the province’s coastline, the midlands and northern parts of the province have been experiencing continuous rainfall.
Weather forecaster Thandiwe Gumede says a significant amount of rain has already been received in various parts of the province and expecting more rain to continue today.
“That is why we have an alert of Level 4 for disruptive rain that could lead to flooding over the northern part of the province as well as the Midlands of KwaZulu-Natal. This will include district municipalities like Amajuba, Uthukela, Umzinyathi, King Cetshwayo, Parts of Ilembe and parts of Umngungundlovu. Tomorrow the chance of rain decreases significantly,” says Gumede.
Video | KZN on high alert after Level 4 weather warning:
