THROWBACK: When a tornado and giant hail battered Gauteng

On 9 October 2017, severe thunderstorms swept through parts of Gauteng, bringing a tornado, giant hailstones and widespread damage to homes, businesses and vehicles.

Nine years later, the storm remains a reminder of how quickly severe weather can turn a normal spring afternoon into chaos.

Tornado tears through the West Rand

A tornado struck Ruimsig, west of Johannesburg, on Monday, 9 October 2017.

The powerful winds damaged buildings, uprooted trees and left debris scattered across parts of the West Rand.

Cradlestone Mall in Muldersdrift was among the properties that suffered damage during the storm.

According to Krugersdorp News, the tornado struck the area at around 15:00. The publication reported that two people sustained injuries at the shopping centre.

The South African Weather Service (SAWS) later gave the Ruimsig tornado an EF2 rating on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, which measures tornado strength by the damage it causes.

The tornado was not the only severe weather event that afternoon. Large hailstones also struck parts of the West Rand, including areas around Krugersdorp.

SAWS reported hailstones ranging from golf-ball to tennis-ball size. The hail damaged roofs and vehicles, while heavy downpours caused flooding in some areas.

Warning:09/10/2017 15h00 to 09/10/2017 19h00 Severe TS observed over Krugersdorp moving toward Soweto, JHB and Ekurhuleni, expect large hail

— SA Weather Service (@SAWeatherServic) October 9, 2017

Schools and businesses suffer damage

The storm also disrupted schooling and business operations.

On 10 October, TimesLIVE reported that Laerskool Protearif and Laerskool Muldersdrif had closed because of structural damage.

Strong winds tore sections of roofs from school buildings, while fallen trees and debris left some classrooms flooded.

Authorities also closed Cradlestone Mall after part of its roof collapsed.

What caused the severe storms?

SAWS linked the severe weather to a line of thunderstorms that developed east of a cut-off low-pressure system over the western parts of South Africa.

The system brought heavy downpours, damaging winds and large hail to several provinces on 9 and 10 October.

SAWS had issued a severe thunderstorm watch before upgrading it to a warning as the storms moved across affected areas.

The weather system later moved eastwards, bringing further destructive weather to other parts of the country.

Friday, 9 October 2026, marks nine years since the tornado and hailstorm struck Gauteng.

The event remains one of the province’s notable severe weather incidents, with SAWS documenting the Ruimsig tornado in its regional climate report.

The storm showed how severe thunderstorms can bring several dangers at once, from destructive winds and large hail to flash flooding