The bodies of two people believed to be swept away by floods in Centurion on Sunday, were recovered on Tuesday.
Community policing group, CERT Centurion, announced it worked alongside various stakeholders in the operation, including SAPS Wierdabrug, SAPS Water Wing and Dive Unit, Gauteng Emergency Medical Services Rescue Team, Tshwane Metro Police Department, Tshwane Emergency Services Department , SARZA , Wierdabrug CPF, Emer-G-Med (Pty) Ltd, Afriforum Neighborhood Watch, Precision Towing, PRSS Holdings , Safe City Projects , Fidelity ADT, Copwatch , Monitor Net and Lapua Strike Force.
The people were found deceased inside their vehicle.
Heavy rains also led to closure of the R533 Road between Graskop and Bushbuckridge
Thulasizwe Thomo, MEC for Public Works, Roads and Transport, said the decision was taken after an on-site assessment.
“The safety of our road users remains our highest priority. Following a thorough assessment of the R533, we took a decisive decision to close the road to prevent potential loss of life and allow our technical teams to work speedily and effectively to restore the road to a safe condition.”
All road users travelling to and from Bushbuckridge are advised to use the alternative route from Graskop via Sabie to Hazyview until further notice.
Tswinga bridge in Thohoyandou is also temporarily closed, because it is flooded.
Road users are advised to avoid the area, especially those with light car.
Heavy downpours are expected to continue on Christmas Eve, at Yellow Level 2 over the
Free State central and southern parts of the North West and the north-western parts of KwaZulu-Natal (Level 3).
The South African Weather Service (SAWS) also warned against damaging coastal winds between Saldanha Bay and Cape Agulhas.
Extremely high fire danger conditions are expected over the Matzikama area in the Western Cape.