VAAL DAM - Powerful jets of water continue to shoot out of sluice gates from the Vaal Dam. The release has already left a trail of destruction downstream.
The Water and Sanitation Department is gradually closing the sluice gates at the dam.
So far only three remain open to regulate outflows and reduce volume levels. But relief is still far away.
Some properties along the riverbank remain under water and businesses have been forced to temporarily close their doors, to wait out the flooding.
The dam is currently at 110 percent capacity.
The government has come in for heavy criticism, for lack of proper planning, but the Water and Sanitation Department says opening the sluice gates is necessary. This helps to maintain the integrity of the dam infrastructure.
By: Silindelo Masikane