Zuma’s plane grounded

The storm that gripped the Western Cape yesterday – which claimed more than nine lives, including a family of four – was not the biggest in 50 years (as some have claimed), but was significant, the South African Weather Service said yesterday.

Several people were left displaced following strong winds and heavy downpours and the education department made the decision to shut down schools for safety reasons.

Some areas were plunged into darkness as a result of power outages that were experienced during the stormy weather.

Speaking to The Citizen, Mbhavi Maleage forecaster said storms were not unusual, particularly for the Western Cape, which normally receives most of its rainfall during winter.

Following yesterday’s freak weather, residents in Gauteng and other areas in the interior of the country have also been warned to prepare themselves for cold conditions from today.

Maleage said in Gauteng, the coldest area in the province today, would be Vereeniging.

Minimums in Vereeniging are set to drop to -2°C, while maximums are only expected to peak at 11°C.

Still in Gauteng, Joburg’s minimums are also set to drop to 0°C, while maximums will reach highs of about 12°C.

The weather desk also issued an alert for black frost, which could lead to severe freezing that blackens growing plants without visible frost, mainly in the southern parts of Gauteng.

In the northern parts of the province, which includes Pretoria, maximum temperatures are also expected to be in the cold category.

Elsewhere, residents in the Free State and the North West provinces can also expect significant drops in temperature.

In Vryburg, North West, minimum temperatures are set to drop to -5°C and only peak at around 14°C.

Residents in the Free State can also expect minimums in Bloemfontein and Betlehem to drop to lows ranging between -6°C and -7°C.

Maximums in the province in question are expected to range between 10°C and 11°C.

In the Northern Cape, minimums are expected to drop to -2°C, while maximum temperatures are set to peak at highs of between 13°C and 15°C.

Another forecaster, Venetia Phakula, said only a slight improvement in temperatures was on the cards for the province tomorrow, with Vereeniging set to peak at 13°C, while Joburg and Pretoria will reach highs of between 16°C and 18°C.

Phakula said while the cold front which had brought the cold weather will have left the country by tomorrow, early mornings and late evenings are expected to remain cold.

Behind the cold front, there has been a strong high pressure system. The bad weather in the Western Cape saw President Jacob Zuma’s official plane being grounded in Cape Town yesterday.

Zuma was due to fly out to Durban to address the opening ceremony of the 69th World News Media Congress.

The presidency said in a statement released late yesterday afternoon: “The weather has made it impossible to fly out of Cape Town at this stage.”

It said he would be unable to make the ceremony.

The annual congress, which is organised by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers, is a forum that brings together more than 1 000 newspaper publishers and chief editors from more than 80 countries to discuss issues and challenges facing the media sector.