By Riches Soberekon
Johannesburg and other high-lying parts of South Africa were covered in a rare snowfall on Monday, as the South Africa Weather Service (SAWS) warned of potential road closures and dangerously cold temperatures.
Johannesburg residents woke up to snowfalls lightly covering their roofs. The snow began falling in the early hours of the morning, and by midday, rooftops and gardens in Johannesburg were covered in a light dusting, amidst this, some of the residents in a Johannesburg were thrilled to experience snowfalls in their region with some having never witnessed snow before.
Puseletso Mofokeng, a senior forecaster at SAWS said the snow was reported across southern parts of Johannesburg’s Gauteng province. He warned that the snow could make roads slippery and dangerous, and that motorists should take extra caution. The snowfall is expected to continue throughout the day, also hitting high-lying areas of the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces. “Roads may be closed,” he said.
Johannesburg lies at an altitude of more than 1,700 metres (5,600 feet) and is in the peak of the southern hemisphere winter. Snow in the city remains a rare event – prior to 2012, heavy snowfall last occurred in 1996, according to Mofokeng.
SAWS warned that icy temperatures posed a risk to street dwellers in a country where poverty remains widespread. Rough seas and strong winds were also expected to create hazardous conditions for small vessels off South Africa’s eastern coast.
