Wooden shacks were uprooted by floods after heavy rain in South Africa.

Locals in Vereeniging in Gauteng province had to tie the makeshift dwellings to trees to prevent them from being swept away further downstream by the water on February 21.

Hundreds of residents have been displaced after authorities opened floodgates at the Vaal Dam following heavy rain battering the region.

In a statement, the Department of Water and Sanitation said: 'The Vaal and Orange River System is experiencing rapid rising water levels due to the heavy rains and the department continues to assess and implement measures to mitigate effects of these floods on its infrastructure and guarantee full capacity on its storage reservoirs after the rainfall season.'