
Be vigilant when using a heater, Joburg EMS warns after three deaths during cold snap
Johannesburg emergency management services have warned Gauteng residents to exercise caution while using heating devices following three deaths in Soweto over the weekend.
Heavy rain and severe thundershowers have been forecast across South Africa this week, with potential risks of flooding, hail, and strong winds.
Snowfall has already been observed in the Eastern Cape, Western Cape, and Lesotho.
Gauteng residents have been warned to be vigilant when using heating devices during the cold snap after three deaths were reported over the weekend.
Johannesburg Emergency Management Services (EMS) spokesperson Nana Radebe-Kgiba said three people died in two separate incidents in Soweto over the weekend after they left heating devices on.
In the first incident in the early hours of Sunday, two children, aged 6 and 8, were killed when their home went up in flames.
In the second incident on Sunday night, one person died of smoke inhalation.
'When it's cold, people resort to using heating devices to keep warm. Because these incidents happened at night, we believe they were sleeping when the fires broke out,' Radebe-Kgiba said on Monday.
No major incidents reported over night,this morning due to Extreme Winter Weather Conditions @CityofJoburgZA residents are urged to continue exercise caution when using heating devices not to leave them unattended while in use to prevent fire incidents at home. @CoJPublicSafety pic.twitter.com/402CB6rEZa
— City of Joburg EMS (@CityofJoburgEMS) June 9, 2025
Despite the overnight showers, Radebe-Kgiba said no rain-related incidents were reported by Monday morning.
'We've received alerts of cold weather and possible snowfall in Gauteng, and we will remain on high alert [during this time],' she added
Meanwhile, in KwaZulu-Natal, the South African Weather Service (SAWS) predicted isolated showers and thundershowers - which could become severe - in the southern parts of the province on Monday.
It is expected to be accompanied by heavy downpours, which could lead to flooding, hail, and damaging winds.
The SAWS further predicted a 30% to 60% chance of showers and thundershowers in the south of the country - increasing to 80% in the southeast - on Tuesday, with possible snow on the escarpment.
It predicted 30% rain and showers along the southeast coast on Wednesday.
Snow has also been reported at Wapadsberg Pass in the Eastern Cape, Tulbagh, Paarl, and Worcester in the Western Cape, and Lesotho.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


New York Times
5 hours ago
- New York Times
School Bus Swept Away as Floods in South Africa Kill at Least 49
Dozens of people were killed in South Africa, including several children whose school bus was swept away by flash floods, as unusually heavy rain, snow and wind pummeled parts of the country's Eastern Cape Province this week. A slow-moving storm raged over the largely rural province on Monday and Tuesday, drowning homes and leaving thousands of residents displaced, without water or electricity, according to local officials and the national power utility. On Wednesday, the authorities were still searching for four children who had been on the school bus. Eleven children had been riding the bus on Tuesday, when it was swept off a bridge in the town of Mthatha. Three children from the bus were rescued after they clung to trees for hours, while four others and two adults were killed, local officials said. As of Wednesday afternoon, the province's premier, Oscar Mabuyane, said 49 people had been killed. While the worst of the weather has passed, officials said, they fear the toll could rise as many people remain unaccounted for. 'Disasters have hit our province, but we have never experienced this combination of torrential rain and snow,' Mr. Mabuyane said. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.

Wall Street Journal
7 hours ago
- Wall Street Journal
Scores Killed in Heavy Flooding in South Africa
JOHANNESBURG—Torrential rain, severe winds and landslides have killed at least 49 people in the poverty-stricken Eastern Cape province of South Africa. Included in the death toll are four children whose school bus was swept away by floodwaters, Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane told reporters Wednesday. Other children in the minibus were still missing, he said. Rescue teams continued to scour the area in the hopes of finding survivors.


Washington Post
8 hours ago
- Washington Post
At least 49 people have died in flooding in South Africa with toll expected to rise, officials say
JOHANNESBURG — At least 49 people have died in flooding in South Africa's Eastern Cape province after an extreme cold front brought heavy rain and snow to parts of the country, officials said Wednesday. Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane said police provided the death toll, which is expected to rise as authorities continue to search for missing people.