Pretoria - eThekhwini Metro Police have called on motorists to exercise due care when driving because of the low visibility rate and localised flooding on some of the roads.
This is due to the arrival of a cold front combined with the Tropical Cyclone Irina which has resulted in heavy rains.
Motorists are urged to keep a good following distance, watching out for huge puddles and debris, be cautious when approaching bridges and roads in the vicinity of flooded areas and treating defecting robots as four-way stops.
Main incidents reported include localised flooding due to the clogging of water drainage systems, high wave levels, vehicle accidents and traffic light failure.
Bathing at beaches and rivers has been banned due to the discolouration and contamination of water and the rising of wave heights, which were recorded to be up to 3m high this morning.
Because of the high tides, shark nets have also been shifted, which may increase chances of shark attack to bathers.
The municipality said it was monitoring the situation and that 13 municipal buses were on standby to assist with evacuation, if the need arose. Various temporary shelters have also been identified.
"The municipality wishes to dispel messages sent via social media networks that some parts of the city are flooded to the point where vehicles are floating in water. This is incorrect and the municipality is monitoring the situation throughout the city," said municipality's spokesperson Thabo Mofokeng.
The municipality has also urged people seeking help to call 031 361 0000.
