Cape Town – The heavy downpours and snow have brought joy to many South Africans – among them a Calvinia resident in the Northern Cape who delighted in the first rain in 12 years and a Twitter user who posted a video of him having a braai in the snow in Ceres, 135km from Cape Town.
Parading around in the snow in his underpants, Ceres resident Clive Moolman can be seen toasting two snowmen in a video, with the caption, "We not used to snow in South Africa and we love to Braai. Others might know it as a BBQ".
The Calvinia resident posted on Twitter how some children in the community had never seen rain – let alone snow – due to a devastating drought.
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/hashtag/GreatKaroo?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GreatKarooCalvinia
Grateful heart ❤️ #ThankYouLord pic.twitter.com/ZyzytcYStt
— KarooDaisy (@KarooDaisy)
The Western Cape Disaster Management Centre says it has been alerted to an influx of visitors to the Cape Winelands area, in particular the Witzenberg area, with visitors attempting to see the snowfall on the mountain ranges in the Ceres area.
The freezing temperatures in Ceres saw the town’s residents and visitors playing in the snow.
People enjoy the snow that still covers parts of the Matroosberg mountains near Ceres. Video: Courtney Africa/African News Agency (ANA)
However, Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning Anton Bredell, requested the public not to travel outside their municipal areas, which includes going to areas like Ceres, Op-die-Berg and Prince Alfred’s Hamlet, where snowfall is prevalent.
From Simone Swart
— Storm Report SA (@StormReportSA1) June 11, 2020
Snow on montain pass in Ceres earlier today pic.twitter.com/BCQvlrKuj4
“Travel restrictions remain in place with regards to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and the public is cautioned to adhere to the existing regulations,” said Bredell.
The weather service expects the stormy weather conditions to continue across large parts of the Western Cape over the weekend.
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ceres?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Ceresfor snow #LockdownSA pic.twitter.com/UKl3erKPf6
— Leighton Koopman (@Leighton_K)