Mzansi braces for a very, very chilly weekend

By Staff Writers

It’s officially spring, but severe winter conditions, including heavy snowfall, is expected across several provinces this weekend. 

The affected areas include the Eastern Cape, Lesotho, Drakensberg mountains, northern KwaZulu-Natal, eastern Free State, and southern Mpumalanga.

Gauteng will have an extremely chilly weekend, with possible snow in Johannesburg.

The Gauteng Joint Operations Committee has advised people to avoid unnecessary travel and stay alert for dangerous road conditions caused by icy and wet weather.

The weather is expected to improve by Sunday.

The temperature in Gauteng is expected to drop to 7 degrees on Saturday and peak at 16 degrees on Sunday.

Dikeledi Sebata, a resident of Kwa-Thema, Ekurhuleni, told Scrolla.Africa this is the first time this year that she had to put on three layers of clothes to get warm.

“Our winter was warm, as if it was delayed and pushed into spring due to global warming,” she said.

On Friday afternoon, snow began to fall heavily on the R617 between the Evat and Underberg areas in KZN.

Traffic police were set to close the road as a safety precaution, and motorists were advised to divert to the R56 and N2 Port Shepstone side to avoid inconveniences.

The cold weather in Cape Town has been stressing residents, many of whom couldn’t sleep on Thursday night due to the strong winds. Those living in informal settlements fear that the winds might destroy their shacks.

Even residents in the suburbs have been praying for the wind to stop, as they risk having their roofs blown off.

High-lying parts of the Eastern Cape are experiencing snowy, cold and wet weather conditions.

The South African Weather Service issued an orange-level six disruptive snow warning for the country’s eastern half, including Lesotho, parts of the Eastern Cape and the western side of KwaZulu-Natal.

In the Eastern Cape, high-lying regions such as Emalahleni, Sakhisizwe, Elundini and Matatiele experienced bitterly cold daytime temperatures of 4 to 8°C throughout Friday, with some mountain passes having to be closed.

Motorists have been warned to drive cautiously, particularly on the partially closed N2 highway in Gqeberha due to rough seas and rising tides.

Pictured above: Johannesburg and the Eastern Cape are freezing over. 

Video: Snow in KZN (Celani Sikhakhane)

Source: X