The South African Weather Service is warning of a cold front that is predicted to affect most parts of the City of Johannesburg.
The cold spell, which struck on Monday morning, is set to continue through the rest of the week, with minus-three degrees Celsius being the lowest temperature.
The Emergency Management Services (EMS) in the City of Johannesburg said they have noticed a significant drop in temperatures.
EMS spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi said the majority of residents would be forced to use heating devices to keep warm, which would expose them to fire incidents.
EMS urges for caution
“Residents are urged to use caution when using heating devices, such as heaters and paraffin stoves, and not to leave them unattended while in use to prevent fire incidents at home,” said Mulaudzi.
“Those who use braizers or imbawulas are urged to use them in a well-ventilated area and are reminded to take them outside.”
In order to ensure that they can effectively respond to all emergencies that might occur during these extremely cold temperatures, he continued, the EMS is on high alert and is keeping an eye on all seven regions of the City of Johannesburg, with a particular focus on the most vulnerable neighbourhoods and informal settlements.
“Disaster management monitoring teams are on high alert, and all 29 fire stations are fully operational to deal with any emergencies that might occur during this cold front.
“For any life-threatening emergencies, residents are urged to call our emergency call centre,” Mulaudzi added.
Snowfall in parts of Eastern Cape
Meanwhile, some roads have been closed in the Eastern Cape due to heavy snowfall.
According to the department of transport in the province, the Barkly Pass on the R58 between Barkly East and Lady Grey is closed to traffic due to a heavy snowfall.
“Today’s weather forecast for Barkly East is a minimum of -3 and a maximum of zero, conditions that are conducive to heavy snowfall,” said Unathi Binqose, the spokesperson for the department.
“We are also keeping a close eye on other mountain passes such as Penhoek Pass on the N6 between Komani and Jamestown, Lootsburg Pass on the N9 between Graaff-Reinet and Middelburg, and Wapadsberg Pass on the R61 between Graaff-Reinet and Nxuba [Cradock].
“There are no closures in any of those as yet.”
