Johannesburg - Snowfalls, which dusted parts of the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and Lesotho, are not expected to continue over the weekend, the SA Weather Service (SAWS) said on Friday.
“For this weekend, starting today (Friday), we are expecting mostly clear skies across the country,” forecaster Bransby Bulo said.
The cold front, which moved across South Africa on Wednesday and Thursday, had moved out to the east of the country.
It was expected to be marginally warmer in most areas over the weekend.
“The temperatures will still be cold, especially in the mornings, with most areas expected to be below 0 (zero degrees Celsius), mostly over the interior,” he said.
No further snowfalls were immediately expected.
Another cold front was expected to hit the Western Cape on Sunday, but it was difficult to determine how strong it would be, Bulo said.
Snow Report SA's Twitter account was buzzing with photographs of landscapes transformed into winter wonderlands.
A steady stream of such pictures poured in from areas, including Matroosberg and Tulbagh in the Western Cape, the Dargle Valley, Boston, and Mooi River in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, and Elliot in the Eastern Cape.
The SAWS issued a special advisory that frost was expected for most of the inland provinces on Friday and Saturday mornings.
It also advised Angora goat farmers to take cold weather precautions for their herds.
Mohair SA general manager Deon Saayman said the industry had been researching the effects of weather on Angora goats for more than 10 years.
Saayman said such precautions were only necessary for Angora goats shorn within the past six weeks.
The goats were shorn twice a year and could sometimes be affected if faced with a sudden drop in temperature, cold wind, and rain.
If all these conditions were present, there was a possibility of the animals being exposed to illness.
“It is actually a hardy animal,” Saayman said.
The goats thrived in cold climates, such as Sutherland, the Eastern Cape, and Lesotho, which was the second-biggest mohair producer in the world.
The precautions referred to in the SAWS advisory included providing shelter and sufficient feed for recently shorn animals.
Saayman said Mohair SA was researching the use of special jackets to keep the goats warm after shearing.
Sapa