A powerful cold front blanketed parts of South Africa with snow on Tuesday, closing highways, plunging neighborhoods into darkness and causing a crash that killed five people, authorities said.
The storm began rolling in over the weekend, and by Monday snow was falling across the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Free State provinces. Temperatures sank below freezing, and the South African Weather Service warned of “disruptive rain, damaging winds and heavy snow” through mid-week.
In the Eastern Cape, a vehicle collided with a truck on the snow-slicked N2 highway, killing all five occupants, provincial transport spokesperson Unathi Binqose told broadcaster Newzroom Afrika. Sections of the N2, a major coastal route that links the affected provinces, were later shut to traffic.
State-owned power utility Eskom said it was fielding “a high number of customer calls nationally” after wind and ice damaged lines, knocking out electricity in several communities. Crews were being redeployed to speed up repairs, the company said in a statement.
Snowfalls are not unusual in South Africa’s June-to-August winter, but the breadth of the current system — and the combination of snow, rain and gale-force winds — prompted forecasters to urge travelers to delay trips and farmers to protect livestock.
The weather service said the front was expected to linger into Wednesday before gradually weakening as it moves eastward toward the Indian Ocean.
