Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Deputy Minister, Narend Singh, has expressed sadness at the loss of life that resulted from freezing temperatures and snowfall that covered parts of the country.
Snowfall brought everyday life to a halt in parts of the country and at least one death over the weekend.
"We are saddened by the loss of life; one death is one too many. Our hearts go out to the deceased's loved ones and all the members of the public that remain trapped in the snow covering parts of the country, especially the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands," Singh said.
Expressing sadness at the loss of life and the plight of travellers who were stranded along the N3, R74, and the R617 national and regional roads, among others, Singh said it was critical for the public to consult weather forecasts and warnings ahead of outdoor activity, such as travelling, to stay out of harm's way.
"It is of paramount importance for the public to normalise checking the weather forecast as they go about planning any outdoor activities including travel and mass events. Such information is disseminated several times each day on traditional and new media platforms to avoid the very dire situation we sadly find ourselves in," the Deputy Minister said.
Heavy snowfall occurred over the western and southern parts of KwaZulu-Natal and the eastern Free State, among other areas, endangering lives. The adverse weather led to difficult driving conditions.
At least one person has been reported dead due to exposure of extremely cold conditions.
On Wednesday, the South African Weather Service (SAWS), an entity of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, issued a media release alerting the public about expected disruptive snow of 15 to 30cm over parts of the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State and Mpumalanga between Friday, 20 September and Saturday, 21 September 2024.
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The SAWS said at the time that the snowfall was likely to result in the closure of mountain passes, loss of livestock and crops, and affect major traffic routes including parts of the N3, N5 and N11.
The entity added that cold to very cold daytime temperatures of between 8 to 12°C could also be expected over Gauteng and the eastern parts of the North West on Saturday, 21 September. The media release was followed by several severe weather warnings.
Singh said the global Early Warning for All (EW4All) agenda, in terms of which countries of the world are called upon to put measures in place to ensure that everyone on earth is protected from hazardous weather, water, or climate events through lifesaving Early Warning Systems by the end of 2027, will only bear fruit if the public heeds the warnings of authorities such as the SAWS.
"The public is advised to follow weather reports on radio and television. More weather information can be accessed through the SAWS website www.weathersa.co.za, its WeatherSMART APP and social media platforms," Singh said.
