Heavy rains that have hit parts of Mpumalanga and Limpopo were set to continue into the evening, the SA Weather Service said on Wednesday.

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Forecaster William Msimanga said the strong downpours had been caused by the sub-tropical depression Banbo, the fourth of the season.

Over the past 48 hours, 109mm of rain was recorded around Mbombela, 139mm around Skukuza, and 270.9mm around Hoedspruit.

About 170mm was recorded to have fallen around Phalaborwa over the last 24 hours.

“It has been raining heavily this morning and this afternoon and is expected to continue tonight (Wednesday),” Msimanga said.

“We are still issuing a warning for persistent heavy falls in the lowveld of Mpumalanga and Limpopo for the rest of this afternoon and tonight.

“On Monday, the system moved from the Mozambique channel into the southern part of Mozambique and the north-eastern part of South Africa where it started causing a deep conversion… which generated a lot of moisture, resulting in heavy rain, heavy showers, and thunder showers, causing flooding in places.”

Kruger National Park spokesman William Mabasa said the park had experienced heavy rains, affecting roads in the area.

“The most important thing is to avoid all gravel roads in the Kruger National Park because they are extremely wet,” he said.

“We have issued a statement this morning to warn people about the water situation. Crocodile Bridge is closed because the bridge is overflowing.

“We have closed Phalaborwa Gate as well, and bridges leading to Letaba and Mopani camps are overflowing at this stage.”

He said anybody coming to the park should contact the public relations office to enquire about the condition of the roads they intended to use. – Sapa