Snow falls on Northern Cape farms after storm wreaks havoc along coast

Parts of the Northern Cape have seen their first snowfalls in about 40 years as a powerful weather system continues to sweep across South Africa.

Sadly the cold weather across much of the interior was preceded by violent, deadly storms along much of the Cape coast, with people still missing, according to rescue officials.

Tina de Klerk from Carnarvon said she was privileged to see snow on her farm in Kareekloof. 

“It started snowing this morning [Monday] from 8am, we are privileged to see it after nearly 40 years,” said de Klerk. 

Snowfall was also recorded across a broad swathe of the platteland, from the famous stargazing capital Sutherland, to the notoriously frigid Drakensburg. 

The South African Weather Service (Saws) has issued a disruptive snow warning for Tuesday across high-lying parts of the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.

Sutherland Planetarium owner Nico van der Merwe, who also works at the Southern African Large Telescope observatory told TimesLIVE Premium that Sutherland gets snowfall about seven times per year. 

“At first snow looks magical and it really is magical from the inside. Once you go outside to play in the snow you will realise it's quite cold once your socks and gloves get soaked. Living in an area where it snows you are typically a bit better equipped for cold conditions.” 

However the severity of the weather caught many by surprise, particularly along the Eastern Cape coast where seven people died in weather-related incidents at the weekend. Numerous others had to be rescued. 

In one incident a man was recovered safely from an island in the Brak River after a vehicle with six occupants was trapped in the floodwaters.

“An adult female was swept away and is still missing, while the remaining four of the six people were recovered safely on the southern side of the river,” the NSRI said.

The Cape Agulhas area received more than 135mm of rain and some surrounding areas up to 200mm as flash flooding occurred in areas causing minor road damage. 

Nelson Mandela Bay executive mayor Gary van Niekerk said 600 residents were evacuated in Lapland informal settlements in Kariega due to adverse weather conditions. Affected community members were assisted with beds, towels, food, water, blankets, nappies, sanitary towels, clothes and shoes.

The municipality said in a statement, “As our community grapples with the aftermath of recent heavy rainfall and flooding, it's imperative that we prioritise safety above all else. We understand the curiosity to witness and document the damage first-hand, but we urge you to resist the temptation to venture out into hazardous areas, particularly near flooded rivers.”

“The dangers posed by flooded rivers are significant, with strong currents capable of sweeping away even the strongest of individuals. Additionally, the conditions around flooded areas can be unstable, increasing the risk of accidents and injuries,” said the municipality.

Zolile Williams, Eastern Cape MEC for co-operative governance and traditional affairs, said: “We are confronting one of the most serious disasters that Kariega has experienced. The magnitude of the rain (272mm)) was too high and our drainage systems could not handle it. This led to serious deviations, horrible scenes where the road infrastructure was swept away in KwaNobuhle.

“This affected the clinic that is on the other side of the bridge, therefore the communities cannot access it. Health services are availed to the community members at Babs Madlakane [Community Centre]. Strategic infrastructural plans have been devised to assist the impacted communities.”

As the rain in the area subsided on Monday morning, more was anticipated during the evening and into Tuesday.  

Saws issued a further yellow level 4 warning for disruptive rainfall for Tuesday over southern parts of the West Coast, western parts of Cape Winelands, the City of Cape Town and western parts of the Overberg district. 

Residents are requested to please help reduce risks to their properties by:

• clearing out drainage systems;
• raising the floor level of a structure so that it is higher than the natural ground level;
• raising furniture on bricks to clear from the floor to limit water damage;   
• making sandbags;   
• digging trenches around the house to divert water away from the house;   
• reporting blocked drains, intakes and illegal dumping — illegal dumping in the storm water canals and sewers make flooding worse; and   
• waterproofing roofs, clearing gutters and removing dead tree branches.

The City of Cape Town said the Disaster Risk Management Centre has put all relevant departments on standby to deal with weather impacts.