Winter is now pretty much in full swing and snow has begun to fall in many provinces as temperatures keep dropping across the country. As beautiful as the snowy icing may to look some, the harsh conditions have caused widespread havoc, particularly on national roads, and claimed at least five lives to date.

Disaster management teams have had their hands full for the past few days as very harsh weather conditions tighten their grip on South Africa. Heavy snowfall has been recorded in various places across the country, notably the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and the Free State.

In Mthatha, Eastern Cape, two bodies were found on different roads. The names of the victims, a 44-year-old woman and a 69-year-old man, have not yet been released and it is believed that they died as a result of the extreme cold.  Further down the coast in Port Elizabeth, three people succumbed to flooding, drowning in the rising waters. The inclement weather displaced an estimated 2000 people in PE.

Snowfall closed several major road networks in many parts of the country and left countless motorists stranded on mountain passes. ER24 spokesperson, Werner Vermaak, reported that they responded to numerous distress calls from drivers stuck on the Butha Buthe pass in Lesotho following an accident scene that stretched more than 1.5km and involved over 30 vehicles. He confirmed that 41 people had been taking to a temporary clinic near Fouriesburg.

“People were found with slight hypothermia and dehydration. One of the patients was a diabetic and needed urgent assistance as his medication was running out. Another was treated for asthma. A heavily pregnant woman and a child with croup were also assessed,” he said.

“The weather was terrible and one car after another drove into each other or slid from the road,” said Ronel Uys, 38, from Centurion on Sunday

Harsh conditions effectively isolated Cape Town from the rest of the country for the weekend as “snow, floods and rockfalls blocked major routes to and from the city.”

It does seem however, that the worst is past, at least for the time being.

“We are not expecting anything major as temperatures will start rising slowly on Monday and continue rising throughout the week,” forecaster Karl Loots told Sapa.

“We expect most of the snow to let up overnight in most areas. It should be better with a minimum of -1 ºC and maximum of 10ºC expected in the Beaufort West area. Most of the other areas can expect relief as well,” said Weather Office spokesman Rian Smit said yesterday.

On a more lighthearted note, some extreme enthusiasts embraced the weather and two men in PE took the floodwaters in inflatable boats. While pursuing the daredevils, officials encountered a further seven canoeists braving the harsh conditions.

[Source: News24, EWN, IOL]