Pretoria – Shoppers at Jubilee Mall in Hammanskraal had to be evacuated on Saturday afternoon after heavy rains and flooding.
On Sunday, shopkeepers and staff spent most of the day calculating their losses and mopping up the water.
The heavy flooding also left some shops submerged in water, resulting in businesses closing down for the day.
Flooding also affected the electric power cables and forced part of the ceiling in the food court to cave in, while the rainwater leaked through the roofs of other shops.
It was, however, business as usual for some shops on Sunday, which opened after workers had mopped water up and bucketed some out from early morning.
Others remained closed for the day as workers worked hard to mop up.
Most shopkeepers said they were yet to quantify the extent of the damage caused to their stock.
Staff in some shops said they had desperately tried to protect their stock of clothes and shoes as the water levels inside the shops rose steadily.
Sports shop manager Flora Kekana said she didn't know the extent of the damage caused by the storm, but said it could run into the thousands.
“We are now worried that some clothes affected by water could start stinking, and that would affect our business,” she said.
Kekana said Saturdays were usually busy days at the mall but owing to the flooding, business was brought to a standstill.
Workers at Rage shop said the heavy rain damaged a light bulb, forcing it to dangle dangerously from the roof.
“Fortunately, we were able to protect the clothes and shoes from the rain,” said store supervisor Sharon Mokhele.
She said the mall was hit by flooding last year, but the damage was not as severe as this time around.
The shopkeepers said clothes and footwear in some storerooms were also dirty because of the rainwater.
The heavy downpour took some debris and sand from the nearby gravel roads and swept it into the mall and into shops.
This also caused a build-up of big piles of sand in the parking bays.