Snow joke: be cautious as cold snap grips SA

Heavy snowfall blanketed parts of three provinces on Thursday, with KwaZulu-Natal disaster management teams warning spectators to be cautious and not to get trapped in the affected areas.

"On Wednesday night there were heavy snowfalls in the Eastern Cape which is on-going. On Thursday morning heavy snow fell in the southern Drakensberg, in Mpendle, Mooi River, Nottingham Road and Sani Pass. It should continue until the early hours of Friday morning," said Ron Ansell of Snow Report SA.

Ezekiel Sebego, chief weather forecaster at the South African Weather Service, said most of the country was feeling the effects of the cold front, which passed over Gauteng on Wednesday night.

"The coldest regions in the country are in the southern Free State, Northern Cape, Eastern Cape and the interior of the Western Cape. Some of the regions in those areas are expecting a maximum of only 10 degrees, some even lower. On the mountains in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, there are snowfalls. Mountain passes in the Eastern Cape have already been closed," said Sebego.

"The heaviest rainfall is predicted for Friday in KwaZulu-Natal," he said, adding that the weather should start warming up on Saturday.

He said bad weather was expected to return to the Western Cape next week.

Mike Anderson-Reade, head of the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board, said shark safety gear at most of the bathing beaches was removed on Wednesday.

He said inclement weather had unsettled seas and strong groundswells of up to 3m were expected. KwaZulu-Natal's disaster management teams said they were on high alert.

MEC for co-operative governance and traditional affairs Nomusa Dube-Ncube appealed to residents to heed the advice from the weather service.

"We are specifically appealing to parents to ensure that all school-going children avoid precarious routes that are prone to flash-flooding," said Dube-Ncube.

She warned snow watchers to steer clear of affected areas because of the risk of getting trapped.

Motorists were urged by KwaZulu-Natal MEC for transport, community safety and liaison Mxolisi Kaunda to exercise caution.

"There have been reports of snow and mist in some parts of the province and certain parts of the Eastern Cape and Lesotho. I urge all motorists to stay clear of areas where there is snow until the situation is back to normal."