South Africa's harsh cold weather prompts authorities to issue orange alert in 2 provinces
Johannesburg residents facing what has been called coldest day of year, with disaster management teams closely monitoring any weather-related incidents
File photo: Submerged fields are seen after the level of the Vaal dam exceeded 100 percent and residents living around the Vaal River were called for evacuation in Johannesburg, South Africa on April 09, 2025.
LUSAKA, Zambia
South Africa has been hit by harsh, cold, and wet conditions, with parts of the country's Eastern Cape being classified as Orange level six due to disruptive snow and damaging winds.
Residents in Johannesburg are facing what has been called the coldest day of the year, with disaster management teams closely monitoring any weather-related incidents.
The South African Weather Services (SAWS) issued an update on Tuesday, indicating that parts of the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces are under orange level five and six warnings.
Orange level five indicates dangerous rain and flooding, while level four indicates damaging winds and waves.
Earlier on Monday, five people were killed in three separate incidents related to using fire to stay warm in Johannesburg, the capital of Gauteng province.
Robert Mulaudzi, spokesperson for the Emergency Management Services (EMS), urged residents to use heating devices with caution this winter.
"We are concerned about this extreme winter weather, and we continue to ask residents to exercise caution when using devices such as heaters and braziers," Mulaudzi said, adding that fires in Mayfair, Bramfischer, and Mapetla, Soweto, destroyed several homes.
