Roofing in North West

What the 2026 storms did

In April 2026 a windstorm in Khuma, outside Stilfontein in Matlosana, blew the roofs off 12 RDP houses and 14 formal houses, shattered windows and damaged some walls. In Rustenburg, 33 houses were damaged in Mamerotse village, and hail broke windows in several Mahikeng homes. In early September a second system brought strong winds and heavy rain, with homes losing their roofs around Setlagole, more than 70 km outside Mahikeng, and two primary schools damaged.

Before the summer storm season, ask a roofer to check the whole chain that holds the roof down, not just the covering:

• Sheet fixings: every screw present, tight and sealed, with extra fixings along eaves, verges and ridges where uplift is strongest.
• Purlins and battens: fixed down to the trusses, not just resting on them.
• Trusses and wall plates: tied down into the brickwork with straps or wire.
• Rafter ends and overhangs: the parts wind catches first; check for rot and loose bracing.

Hail season in the east of the province

In a classic study of SAWS station records from 1962 to 1986, Olivier grouped Gauteng and the eastern parts of North West into one hail area. The season there runs mainly from October to March and peaks in November, with most hail between midday and 20:00 and the highest chance between 17:00 and 18:00.

Size matters for roofs. University of Pretoria researchers note that hailstones larger than 2 cm, which hit at about 55 to 65 km/h, damage roofs and cars, while stones over 3 cm cause significant property damage. If you're replacing a roof in Rustenburg, Brits or Hartbeespoort, ask each roofer how the covering they're quoting stands up to hail, and get the sheet thickness or tile specification in writing.

Thatch and the wire-sway rule

For thatch, the lightning rules depend on how the thatch is fixed as well as where you are. The South African Weather Service's lightning climatology puts most of the central interior at 5 to 10 ground flashes per km² a year, with small areas in western North West reaching 10 to 15, and isolated areas of the province at extreme risk from positive lightning.

Under SANS 10400-T, a thatched building or lapa needs a lightning protection system where the flash density is above 7. If the thatch is fixed with wire or metal sways, the threshold drops to 3, which on these figures covers most of North West. In both cases a competent person must design and install the system to SANS 10313 and SANS 62305-3. Ask your thatcher which sways they use and whether protection is in the price.