Flooding in parts of Sebokeng in the Vaal, that left over 70 homes and roads damaged was caused by shoddy work by contractors who were building roads in the area, the municipality says.

Emfuleni spokesperson Stanley Gaba said contractors who were in the area earlier, unfortunately and unknowingly left rubble on the banks of the nearby stream and this led to water diverting into people's homes.

Gaba added that a disaster relief team led by Emfuleni’s Member of the Mayoral Committee for social development, councillor Penny Sengoatsi, is on the ground in Sebokeng Zone 6, where floods have damaged roads and homes following heavy rains on Sunday.

"The team is also urgently attending to this, with the intention of clearing the rubble as early as later as today [Tuesday] to prevent any further flooding," he said.

The disaster management officials from both Emfuleni and Sedibeng District Municipality have provided sandbags to affected areas to prevent further flooding and damage to property.

Emergency rescue centre

The team has also set up an emergency rescue centre at the nearby Tshepo-Themba Secondary School where blankets and mattresses have been provided to shelter residents whose houses were severely flooded.

"However, it must be noted that residents have refused to leave their homes with many saying they have since managed to drain the water out of their houses and yards. Emergency services remain on standby following overnight rain which led to minor incidents of flooding in some parts of the municipality..." he said.

Gaba added that ward councillors and their committees continue to work with the municipality in reporting new incidents of flooding.

"A preliminary assessment by the team has revealed that the stream behind Zone 6 in Sebokeng broke its banks and led to localised flooding. The team also identified debris and foreign objects in storm-water channels, which may have contributed to the flooding of homes.

"The team, working with the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), is on the scene working on cleaning and clearing the channels to allow for storm-water to make its way out of the residential areas and into a nearby stream," he concluded.