South Africans are amazed after a weather phenomenon in the Free State was caught on video and shared on social media.

While some questioned the video’s authenticity, believing it was created using artificial intelligence, others were stunned by a man on a tractor calmly continuing his work as a tunnel of wind twisted ferociously in the background.

The video, which social media posts say was filmed near Harrismith, has not been independently verified. However, Caxton Network News contacted South African Weather Service meteorologist Lehlohonolo Thobela, who confirmed a tornado was observed in the area yesterday.

Storm Report SA posted on Facebook that a tornado with clear rotation and debris visible from a distance was observed. “The system developed rapidly as strong thunderstorms moved through the eastern Free State.”

Caxton Network News has also reached out to the man believed to have taken the video, reportedly a farmer, and will provide an update should more information become available.

Was it a supercell tornado?

There are different types of tornadoes, including supercell tornadoes and non-supercell tornadoes, such as landspouts and waterspouts. In addition, less severe forms of circulating winds exist, including dust devils, gustnados and fire whirls.

Thobela adds that it is not yet possible to say if it was a supercell tornado, as the event is still under investigation.

According to Afri WX, rotating updrafts are key to the development of supercell storms and eventually tornadoes. Their website explains:

“Supercell tornadoes are the most common and also the most dangerous type of tornado. Wind shear, when winds at different levels above the ground blow at different speeds and directions, causes a column of air to start rotating. Once warm, moist air starts flowing into the rotating column from the ground level, a tornado can form.”

History of tornadoes in Harrismith

Northern Natal News previously reported on the five worst tornadoes in South African history and the damage they left behind. Ranked third at the time of the article was one in Harrismith on November 15, 1998.

This tornado destroyed over 750 homes over a 9km path. It caused damage to a number of telephone and power lines. Reports indicate 15 people were injured. At the time, it was described as the ‘most spectacular’ in our country.

Watch the video of the 2025 tornado here:

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