Snow hits South Africa's mountains, expect a sunny but cold weekend
Snow in the high-lying areas of the Eastern Cape temporarily closed several mountain passes from Graaff-Reinet to Barkley East after heavy trucks stuck on the slippery roads on Thursday. Although large parts of the province have experienced rain‚ icy weather and even snow over the past few days‚ Weather SA Eastern Cape spokesman Garth Sampson said conditions would clear and that it would "be sunny but cool" over the weekend.He had heard radio reports of some mountain passes in the province being temporarily closed but said Weather SA had not received official notifications.SAPS spokesman Lieutenant Khaya Tonjeni said later on Thursday that roads were not closed in the Whittlesea/Queenstown areas.Snowfalls were also reported in mountains near Cradock‚ Elliot and the Winterberg mountains as well as in parts of the Free State‚ Lesotho and high-lying areas near Ceres.On Thursday Automobile Association spokesman Layton Beard urged motorists to exercise extreme caution when driving on snow covered roads because ice on the tarmac made conditions dangerous.He said motorists should ensure they had enough petrol in their tanks to keep the engine running to power the heaters should they get stuck or delayed. Keeping blankets and a "of something warm" in the vehicle was also advisable.-RDM News Wire..
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