VIDEO: LOCAL STATE OF DISASTER DECLARED IN JOHANNESBURG FOLLOWING STORM

Johannesburg's mayor, Herman Mashaba, has declared a local state of disaster after two people were killed following heavy rains and a hailstorm over the past weekend. Thousands of homes, roads and buildings were damaged. with the estimated damage to properties across the city sitting around R186 million.

Following a meeting with the city's disaster management teams, Mashaba has decided to take decisive action.

“Given the damage to the city, I have taken the decision that the city must be declared a local state of disaster. The city has begun an engagement with the local and national government as part of this process.
"The city will do a full risk assessment of the damage caused by the storm, particularly to identify the contractors involved in some of the buildings that collapsed," Mashaba said.

He says power, water and traffic lights have been restored to the affected areas.

An emergency hotline has also been activated for the reporting of emergencies.