Cold front
Eskom in Gauteng warns of increasing electricity demand as cold front sets in
With temperatures expected to drop below zero degrees over the next few days, the utility has urged customers to use electricity sparingly.
The utility has warned that the power grid remains under pressure and load shedding could be back with very little notice.
The South African Weather Service on Monday said that the cold front was expected to make landfall in the evening.
Parts of the Western Cape could be covered in snow on Monday night. In Gauteng, temperatures will dip to a minimum of zero degrees from Tuesday.
According to the SAWS, temperatures are expected to drop to the mid-teens during the day this coming week, with below zero temperatures in the evening from Tuesday to Thursday.
Western Cape Education Department spokesperson Bronagh Hammond said that they were now using social media to complete school work while they waited for repairs to be effected.
The heavy rainfall and gale-force winds caused power outages in various communities, flooding, resulted in roofs blowing off and uprooted trees.
The latest cold snap made landfall late Sunday night, causing flooding across parts of the city.
Rolling outages will be implemented until 10 pm on Monday night.
All emergency services remain on high alert, but there have been no reports of injuries or fatalities.
Several temporary classrooms at Nomzamo High School were gutted overnight, as heavy rains and strong winds pummeled parts of the Cape.
This morning, trains operating between Cape Town and Retreat were suspended following damage to overhead power supply systems as a result of severe weather conditions.
Disaster Management spokesperson Charlotte Powell said that a number of trees were also uprooted in various neighbourhoods. Roofs were also blown off in Manenberg, Heideveld and Lavender Hill.
Metrorail said that parts of what could be a roof were blown onto a section of the tracks between Mowbray and Rosebank.
It's the second cold snap since Thursday, when a round of inclement weather chilled the Cape before moving inland.
Eskom has been implementing stage 2 load shedding since Friday and a second cold front is making landfall in the Western Cape on Monday.
The Zwelitsha informal settlement on a flood plain in Dunoon has been completely flooded.
Flooding has been reported in various informal areas in and around Cape Town, as heavy rain and gale force winds pummeled parts of the Cape since Thursday.
Eskom is concerned that the drop in temperatures would increase electricity demand with people using power to keep warm.