Freezing weather and snowfalls in parts of South Africa have seen the death of a homeless man in Johannesburg, the delay of airline flights and the closure of mountain passes.
Snowfalls left more than 300 bus passengers and 20 truck drivers trapped between Harding and Kokstad in KwaZulu-Natal.
The homeless man died of exposure, said Johannesburg emergency services spokesperson Malcolm Midgley. The man was found in Noord Street in downtown Johannesburg.
Another victim of the icy conditions was a kitten that died after creeping under a vehicle’s engine in search of warmth, said the National Council of Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Airport authorities were advising travellers to check flight departure times, with delays of up to six hours out of Cape Town because of snow at Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport, reported the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC).
Snow in Johannesburg was the city’s first real fall since September 10 1981, when it lay more than 10cm deep in places, said South African Weather Service climatologist Tracey Gill. In some parts of the city, the snow had not melted by mid-afternoon on Wednesday.
While no more snow is expected, weather conditions in Gauteng will remain bitterly cold until at least Friday, becoming milder over the weekend, said a weather forecaster.
Pretoria can look forward to a temperature of -1 degree Celsius on Thursday morning, rising to 15 degrees in the afternoon; Johannesburg to -2 with a high of 12; and Vereeniging to a -4 start increasing to 11 degrees.
Trapped
Meanwhile, snowfalls wreaked havoc elsewhere in the country, leaving more than 300 bus passengers and 20 truck drivers trapped between Harding and Kokstad, the SABC reported. The N2 was closed at Kokstad.
Bus passengers were being taken to nearby homes, said Sisonke district municipality manager Nhlanhla Mabaso. However, it was difficult for truck drivers to leave as they had to watch their loads, he said. Most shop owners had shut their doors for the rest of the day because of the cold.
Van Reenen’s Pass was also closed because of the ”extreme” conditions, said the N3 toll concession.
An Eastern Cape weather forecaster did not predict more snow in the area, but said that if there was, it would be only on the southern tip of the Drakensberg and only in the early morning. It was more likely that there would be light rain, he said.
Another weather services spokesperson said snow 20cm deep had left roads in and around Hogsback impassable. The Winterberg mountains and Katberg were reportedly covered in deep snow.
The South African Weather Service sent out warnings to motorists on Tuesday to avoid all passes in the Eastern Cape because of snow.
Rescue teams were helping heavy vehicles and motorists out of the Penhoek Pass between Queenstown and Jamestown and the Nico Malan Pass between Fort Beaufort and Seymour, police disaster-management coordinator John Fobian told the SABC.
On the farm Buffelsfontein, near Molteno, in the Eastern Cape, the snow was 25cm thick, the broadcaster reported.
Snowfalls were also recorded in Thaba Nchu, Zastron, Wepener and Dewetsdorp, in the Free State.
The weather service said the lowest temperature in Mpumalanga is expected at Standerton, where the mercury will drop to -3 degrees Celsius, rising to eight degrees later in the day.
In Limpopo, it will be coldest in Mokopane, at one degree Celsius, with a high of 22 degrees; in North West the temperature will plummet to -5 degrees in Potchefstroom, rising to 15 later on; and in the Free State the -5 conditions in Bethlehem will improve to 10 degrees.
Sutherland will be the iciest place in the Northern Cape, at -9 degrees Celsius, also rising to 10, with a low of -1 degree expected in Riversdale and Oudtshoorn, in the Western Cape.
Temperatures will not dip below zero anywhere in either the Eastern Cape or KwaZulu-Natal. — Sapa