Cold front: Johannesburg residents urged to be careful with heaters
A secondary cold front which made landfall in the Western Cape on Friday, 21 May, bringing rain – and even snowfall – in that part of the country is expected to reach Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga during Saturday and Sunday. As a precautionary measure, the City of Johannesburg has urged residents not to leave heating devices unsupervised in order to avoid accidental fires.
The South African Weather Service (SAWS) warned that as the cold weather invades the central parts of the country the maximum temperature would drop significantly.
JOBURG EMS URGES COLD CAUTION
Gauteng’s weather forecast looks bleak on Saturday morning, 22 May, with the minimum temperatures across the province sitting in the single-digits, starting with Johannesburg with 4°C, Vereeniging, 5°C, Springs and Pretoria, 6°C, and Hammanskraal with 7°C.
According to SAWS, temperatures will not remain that frigid for the rest of the day with maximum temperatures rising to the upper-teens – and even the lower 20s – later on. Hammanskraal leads with a high of 23°C followed by Pretoria, 21°C, Johannesburg, 19°C, Vereeniging, 18 °C, Springs, 17°C.
Robert Mudlauzi, the spokesperson for the City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Service, urged informal settlement residents to be careful, according to SABC News.
“From our side as the City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Services, we will remain on high alert so that we can be able to respond to any emergency which might occur throughout the weekend,” said Mulaudzi.
The City’s warning comes after unattended heating devices started several fires over the years, which leads to loss of life and destruction.
Mudlauzi listed the devices of concern, which included heaters, paraffin stoves, candles, gas heaters, and imbaula.
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