Parts of South Africa experience first winter snowfall

As temperatures plummet and bitter cold conditions grips several provinces, South Africa has recorded its first winter snowfall for 2022.

A few posts by Snow Report SA shows KwaZulu-Natal and Lesotho blanketed with heavy snowfall.

“Nare and Polo from Sani Mountain Escape at the top of Sani Pass took these photos earlier. It appears that the snow is quite far down the pass but we can’t tell how far yet. More snow is expected today and tomorrow so the conditions on the pass will likely make it impossible to drive in any vehicle for a little while.”

“This is the top of Sani Pass at the moment. We’ve heard that there are vehicles stuck on the pass and conditions are no doubt very challenging even for capable vehicles. As the temperature drops later in the day the melted snow and rain on the pass may freeze and make things even more difficult, so bear this in mind if you’re planning to use the today or tomorrow,” a post by Snow Report read.

On Thursday, the South African Weather Service (SAWS) issued a level 2 warning of bitterly cold conditions with the possibility of disruptive rain from Friday going into the weekend.

It said temperatures are only expected to reach a high of 13 degrees in Johannesburg.

ALSO READ: Emergency services on standby as bitterly cold conditions set to hit Gauteng

The City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Services said its teams will be on standby following the warning of adverse weather conditions by the Weather Service.

KwaZulu-Natal has also been affected by the cold front with Premier Sihle Zikalala warning about the possibility of more flooding in the province following the possibility of more rain.

Meanwhile, the cold weather conditions have put pressure on the electricity grid.

On Saturday, Eskom announced that it will implement stage 4 load shedding from 1pm on Saturday afternoon.

In a statement, the embattled power utility announced that they would need to move from Stage 2 load shedding to Stage 4 from 1pm until 10pm on Saturday night.

It also said that stage 4 load shedding would be implemented from 8am to 10pm on Sunday as demand is higher than anticipated due to some units tripping.

ALSO READ: Eskom announces stage 4 load shedding