By Graeme Hosken, Janine du Plessis and Xolani Mbanjwa
Chaos erupted on Pretoria's roads on Wednesday after unexpected heavy downpours and hail during the early hours of the morning.
Power outages attributed to the stormy weather conditions, combined with wet and slippery roads, led to eight serious accidents in which one person was killed and at least 15 vehicles damaged.
Out-of-order traffic lights at the Hans Strijdom Drive and R21 junction caused back-ups, with commuters complaining of being stuck in traffic for up to 30 minutes, while thousands of residents in Hennops Park, Pretoria Central, Eldoraigne, East Lynne and Jan Niemand Park woke to power outages.
City and Pretoria West motorists were forced to take cover after a sudden hailstorm at lunchtime.
On Wednesday the South African Weather Service warned that icy conditions would continue on Thursday.
The Pretoria weather office's Venetia Magane said the two cold fronts sweeping across the south-western parts of the country would continue to bring cold weather to the city for the next couple of days.
She said the temperatures on Thursday were expected to drop to 4°C while the maximum would be a mere 17°C.
Magane said her advice to people was to stay indoors if possible and to wrap up warmly if venturing outdoors.
"It is going to be very cold over the next couple of days with temperatures only beginning to rise slightly over the weekend," she said.
She said Wednesday's average rainfall of 33mm in the city was very unusual for this time of the year.
Magane said: "We are not expecting any more downpours and by the weekend our winter weather should return to 'normal'."
According to a council spokesperson, a damaged substation caused power cuts in Doringkloof, while Wingate Park had cable problems.
Tshwane Metro Police spokesperson Alta Fourie said there were eight serious accidents in the city.
"The motorist who was killed died in an accident on Jan Coetzee Road in Baviaanspoort."
Fourie said there were numerous bumper bashings and minor accidents throughout the city caused by wet and slippery road conditions.
She said it was imperative for people to switch on their headlights, slow down, increase their following distances and allow more time to reach their destinations when driving during wet conditions.
"People must not think that because it is raining they can take chances on the roads," she added.
Tshwane Emergency Services spokesperson Johan Pieterse said that there were no reports of flooding despite the heavy overnight downpours.