PICS: Sani Pass and Afriski in Lesotho blanketed in snow

Most parts of South Africa woke up shivering on Saturday morning as the country is in the grips of a cold snap.

The South African Weather Service issued several disruptive snow reports for some parts of the country on Saturday morning.

It also warned of very cold and wet conditions, with light snowfalls on the mountains in several parts of South Africa, which could result in isolated loss of vulnerable livestock. SAWS also warned motorists to be cautious of slippery conditions due to icy roads on mountain passes.

ALSO SEE: Level 2 warning: A wet and cold weekend ahead for most of SA

Wet and cold conditions and light snow can be expected in these areas on Saturday 21 May:

• Graaff-Reinet
• Sakhisizwe/Elliott
• Elundini/Nqanqarhu/Maclear
• Emalahleni / Lady Frere

On Friday, the SAWS issued Disruptive snowfall warnings for big parts of the country including:  

• Umzimvubu / Mount Ayliff
• Matatiele
• Sakhisizwe/Elliott
• Elundini/Nqanqarhu/Maclear
• Senqu/Barkly East

On Saturday morning, local storm watchers, Snow Report shared photos of Sani Mountain Escape covered in a think blanket of snow.

It said more snow was expected on Saturday and Sunday and that conditions on Sani Pass will likely make it impossible for vehicles to drive there.

Snowfall was also reported in Lesotho at the top of Mafika Lisiu Pass on the A25 as well as Letseng mine in Lesotho and at Afriski Mountain Lodge and Resort.

See all the snow photos below:

While the snow certainly creates a magical winter wonderland, South Africans heard on Saturday that load shedding has been upgraded from stage 2 to stage 4 from 1pm on Saturday afternoon until 10pm on Saturday evening.

Embattled power utility Eskom said that electricity demand is higher than anticipated and that some units have tripped.

South Africans can also expect stage 4 load shedding from 8am to 10pm on Sunday night.