Severe rains have battered Alexandra township in Johannesburg for several days, sparking intense anxiety among residents of Stjwetla, an informal settlement built dangerously close to the Jukskei River.
With water levels rising, the risk of flooding has become real, and residents are bracing for possible disaster.
On Sunday, Johannesburg’s emergency management services placed units on high alert, especially for low-lying areas like Stjwetla.
Officials urged residents to avoid crossing streams, to move belongings to higher ground when possible, and to be ready to evacuate.
The rainy season is our nightmare; the water gets very high, and all we can do is to grab our valuables and move high up.
— Khensani Chauke
Despite these efforts, many residents feel exposed and powerless. The river, they say, is a threat that they live next to every day. Some homes are mere metres from the riverbank, built without solid foundations or proper drainage. When rains intensify, water creeps into their shacks, and there is little they can do to stop it.
Speaking to Our City News, Khensani Chauke, who has been a resident of Stjwetla since 2011, said: “The rainy season is our nightmare; the water gets very high, and all we can do is to grab our valuables and move high up. It gets very difficult when it rains at night because we have kids.”
She said they can’t afford to relocate.
Chauke added that the flooding risk is not just about property damage — it is about survival. The polluted water, which carries raw sewage and garbage, poses serious health risks when it floods into homes.
Another resident, Angie Chauke, described a cycle of anxiety, saying that as soon as the skies darken, she prepares for the worst. Knowing that if the river rises, she may have to leave her home with very little warning. Many do not have an alternative place to go to.
“I have been living here since the end of April this year, and I have learnt that the lack of infrastructure makes the situation even worse,” Chauke said. “There are few proper drainage systems, and waste tends to block [the river’s] natural water flow. Over time, urban development has covered the ground with hard surfaces, sending more rainwater rushing into the river instead of becoming absorbed into the soil.”
The South African Weather Service said this week’s forecast shows continued instability. Heavy rain is expected to return, especially in the afternoons and evenings. If the pattern holds, rising river levels could place the lives of Stjwetla residents and their homes at real risk.
While world leaders attending the G20 Summit may be focused on global sustainability and economic inequality, for Stjwetla residents the stakes are far more immediate: protecting their homes, their families, and their lives in the face of relentless rain.
Some community groups are pushing for longer-term solutions to the risks faced by the Stjwetla residents. Environmental activists, including the Alexandra Water Warriors, are working to clean and rehabilitate the Jukskei River. Volunteers have installed litter traps made from recycled materials to capture riverside waste, and they are planting trees to help stabilise the banks.
But for now, many in Stjwetla say they feel like they are waiting for the next storm and wondering how bad it will be.
Meanwhile, several parts of Joburg experienced power outages due to bad weather over the weekend into Monday.
On Monday morning, City Power said it had received more than 2,000 calls from frustrated residents. Spokesperson Isaac Mangena said the utility has come under severe strain due to the rain, leading to widespread outages and thousands of logged complaints.
“City Power is starting to feel the impact of sustained heavy rainfall on its operations across Johannesburg, with the number of logged queries this morning exceeding 2,000.
“The wet weather conditions have increased the number of outages and are hampering our restoration efforts as teams battle to access certain areas that are waterlogged,” Mangena said.
He added that several roads have been closed due to flooding, which has complicated the repair efforts.
He said 545 active queries were logged in the Hursthill service delivery centre, affecting areas such as Rosebank, Pennyville, Kathrada Park, Westbury South, Fordsburg North, Fairlands West, and Coronationville.
“The equipment used in detecting faults doesn’t function as effectively in waterlogged environments,” he said. “The other challenge we face during repairs is that digging to fix the underground cables becomes difficult. While the trenches are waterlogged, our teams cannot effectively carry out repairs, causing further delays.”
● This story was produced by Our City News, a non-profit newsroom that serves the people of Johannesburg
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