Freezing temperatures, the result of an extremely cold front, brought snow to the highveld, with Joburgers waking up to an unusual site - a winter wonderland outside their windows.

The hockey field at the Wits Education Campus was covered by a thick layer of snow

F

LYING in on the coat tails of a freezing cold front, snow was reported across Johannesburg from midnight last night. Joburgers woke up to an extremely cold day on Wednesday, 27 June, when temperatures dropped below zero, and cars, parks and buildings were covered in a layer of white frosting.

The hockey pitch at the University of the Witwatersrand education campus was just one of many sports fields covered in white; snow weighed down leaves and crept along tree branches; and amazed learners snapped away with their cellphones, sending pictures to their friends.

In Houghton, The Wilds looked beautiful, almost like a whole new park - and all of Soweto was white today.

"The snow that fell last night was more than 10 centimetres deep in most parts of the country," said Tracy Gill, a climatologist at the South African Weather Service.

"Today is expected to be much colder, with daytime temperatures throughout the province dropping to between the low to mid-teens. People will feel colder because of the wind contributing to the chilly conditions."

A warning was issued earlier this week about the winter chill, and people were advised to dress warmly - in the past cold weather has claimed many lives.

Dress warmly
Malcolm Midgley, the media liaison officer at Joburg's emergency management services (EMS), said the unit encouraged people to dress as warmly as possible, "especially today when the temperatures are so low. We urge parents not to leave their children unattended because cases of children leaving heaters switched on when they leave the house have been reported."

Snow weighed down plants at the Wilds

The EMS kicked off a winter safety campaign in March, aimed at teaching people to use paraffin, electricity and gas correctly during the winter months.

He added that those who used gas should ensure that their gas pipes were in good working order and that there were no leaks. This would prevent disastrous fires.

The cold weather and roads slippery from ice had not interrupted the traffic in Joburg, said Wayne Minnaar, chief superintendent at Johannesburg metro police department. "There were no accidents reported because of the weather conditions this morning. Traffic is flowing as normal and we haven't heard of any major disruptions today."

Speaking about Joburg's chilly winter blanket, Gill recalled similar excitement back in September 1981, when a thick layer of snow covered the city. "When I was in grade eight in the southern suburbs of Johannesburg, I looked out of the window of the English class in which I was sitting and saw in the first drifting snowflakes.

"The tenth of September would forever become a milestone day for a lot of people who experienced the first snowfall in Johannesburg in 13 years, and for a large number of us, the first snowfall of our lives," she recalled.