Cape Town - While the city got some respite from the blistering heat, it was greeted on Thursday by a howling south-easter.
Weather SA reported wind speeds of 35km/h, with gusts of up to 50km/h.
One of the worst-affected places was the Foreshore.
People clung to each other as they crossed roads and even burly men struggled.
One man valiantly tried to protect a woman he was walking with. But the wind was so strong, however, he had to lean into the wind.
Anika le Roux and Johan Fourie, from Bellville, found it difficult to deal with the wind.
While holding on to her dress, Le Roux said: “We are just walking through the city enjoying our time off, but if I don’t blow away, it would be more pleasant.”
Yolanda Msengane, from Langa, came to the CBD hoping for a nice day out after the heat. Keeping her long hair out of her face as she crossed a busy Adderley Street was her main concern.
Msengane found humour in her plight as more and more people battled their way through the wind. “It’s so bad, but at least it’s not hot, so there’s that.”
Her plans for the day involved enjoying the sights and sounds in the city and just relaxing.
Friends Cherri-Lee Rhode, from Belhar, and Coritan Joël, from Somerset West, came to the CBD on a whim to enjoy the sites.
Both found it funny as the howling wind tried to sweep them away.
The wind lashed people crossing the plaza on Hertzog Boulevard near the CTICC.
June Parr, from Plumstead, was blown away by the south-easter as she made her way back to her office after lunch. She said she hoped the wind would subside soon.
SA Weather says the wind will blow at about 35km/h until Sunday and the temperature will climb from the mid-20s to beyond 30ºC.
Wednesday is forecast to reach a high of 35ºC.
Cape Times
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