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As Newcastillians welcome a chilly Friday, with light rain washing away the winter, residents are encouraged to avoid travelling around the province.
KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Sipho Hlomuka, has placed disaster management teams on high alert in districts surrounding the Drakensberg mountains. This is due to a risk of snowfall potentially resulting in road closures.
A weather warning issued by the South African Weather Service indicates the province faces a risk of snowfall and hail in areas around the Drakensberg mountains. Further stating, two winter systems would affect the country this week, with their impact extending into the weekend.
The first of the two systems began on Thursday, 12 August 2021, with an intense cold front making landfall in the Western Cape before spreading to the Eastern Cape and parts of KwaZulu-Natal that evening.
The second system, namely a cut-off low, is currently developing today, Friday, 13 August 2021, over the country’s western interior, causing wintry conditions to persist over the country’s southern parts.
Moreover, the system is expected to deliver rainfall over the central interior of the country, a relatively uncommon occurrence for this time of year.
The weather service states snowfall is also expected to spread to the Drakensberg regions of KwaZulu-Natal. According to South African Weather Service, snowfalls may result in further disruptions to traffic on major routes and the possible closure of mountain passes.
The MEC is now urging residents across the province to exercise extreme caution as weather conditions are expected to deteriorate due to an incoming cold front. He has appealed explicitly to residents who utilise generators and braziers to follow all safety precautions. “We are appealing to residents to ensure that generators are placed outside whenever they are in use and we are also calling on them to ensure that if they are using braziers, they utilise them in a safe manner and in a well-ventilated area.”
Disaster management teams will be monitoring routes that are prone to incidents.
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