Severe cold is to hit large parts of the country later on Tuesday and Wednesday, the South African Weather Service has warned.
It said temperatures would drop as low as minus nine degrees Celsius in places such as Sutherland in the Northern Cape.
The town was blanketed in snow on Monday.
In the Free State, Bloemfontein saw sleet falling by lunchtime on Tuesday with temperatures hovering at about three degrees.
Snow was expected later in the day at places in the eastern Free State and southern Free State as well as the Maluti mountains in Lesotho.
The weather service said gale-force westerly winds were expected between Plettenberg Bay and East London, with very rough seas and wave heights exceeding 5m between Lamberts Bay and East London.
Very cold, wet and windy conditions were likely over the high ground areas of the Western, Northern, and Eastern Cape provinces, the KwaZulu-Natal Drakensberg, as well as the southern and eastern highlands of the Free State.
Snowfalls were expected on the high ground of the Western, Northern, and Eastern Cape provinces, the southern and eastern high grounds of the Free State and the south-western KwaZulu-Natal highlands.
Chilly conditions would persist on Wednesday over the interior regions of the Cape Province, Free State and Highveld areas.
The public and small stock farmers were advised to take the necessary precautions.
The service also warned of expected weather conditions that could lead to runaway fires over central and northern KwaZulu-Natal, north-east Free State, as well as provinces north of the Vaal River.
According to the service’s website, a strong cold front, associated with a vigorous upper-air trough and surface low, was expected to advance rapidly across the country on Tuesday.
The cold system was expected to exit the country later on Wednesday, with daytime temperature recovery likely to begin across the country from Thursday.
Another — but weaker — cold front, associated with a steepening upper-air trough, was expected to approach the Western Cape from Friday, bringing rain and showers to the south-western parts from early Saturday.
The Atlantic high-pressure system should ridge eastwards behind the front on Sunday, feeding low-level moisture into the southern and eastern parts. — Sapa