Gauteng residents to brace for cold weekend

Gauteng

Johannesburg — Gauteng residents have been urged to brace for intense cold fronts with snow, rain and winds expected to sweep through the province.

The City of Johannesburg’s emergency services said it noted the weather alert and meant that many residents would be tempted to use all sorts of heating devices to keep themselves warm, TimesLIVE reported.

“We urge all our residents to use all heating devices (heaters, imbawula, paraffin stoves and candles) safely and not to leave them unattended while in use to prevent fire incidents at home during the extremely cold temperatures,” it said.

It added that disaster management teams were monitoring all regions of the city, along with all 29 fire stations, to remain on high alert to respond to all emergencies which may occur over the weekend.

The City of Tshwane said residents should remain cautious and observe precautionary measures, which includes contacting emergency numbers should a fire breakout.

“Never leave children unattended near a burning candle or fire [and] make sure t all candles are placed in safe candleholders. Never leave an imbawula or a coal fire to burn overnight without supervision. Extinguish paraffin fires with sand or a fire extinguisher,” the city’s Lindsay Mnguni said.

According to SAWS, Pretoria’s weather was as high 22°C on Friday, before dropping drastically to 11°C on Saturday before rising to 16°C on Sunday.

Johannesburg was slightly colder on Friday with a high of 19°C, before dropping to a low of 9°C on Saturday and rising to 15°C on Sunday.

The weather is expected to remain cloudy with chances of rain throughout the whole province.

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Compiled by Matthew Petersen

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