Authorities Urge Caution as South Africa Endures Persistent High Temperatures

• The South African Weather Service warned that parts of the country are expected to reach high temperatures after a heatwave passed through parts of South Africa
• Authorities have also cautioned residents to take necessary precautions as high temperatures will hit parts of the country beyond the heatwave
• Netizens discussed how hot it was in their parts of the country, and others complained about the intensity of the heat

For seven years, Tebogo Mokwena, Briefly News’ Deputy Head of Current Affairs, South Africa, covered a range of topics, including accidents, fires, outbreaks, nature, weather, and natural disaster-related incidents, at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News.

KWAZULU-NATAL — Parts of the KwaZulu-Natal province are expected to continue experiencing high temperatures as a heatwave continues to pass through the country. The South African Weather Service (SAWS) and other authorities urged residents to take precautions.

According to SABC News, SAWS issued a warning for a heatwave in the northern parts of the province, which is expected to continue until the early weekend. Although the heatwave is expected to subside, temperatures will remain relatively high.

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How hot will it be in KwaZulu-Natal?

Forecaster Ayanda Nsele said areas like Ulundi and Ladysmith will experience maximum temperatures of 38 or 39 degrees. She said that the maximum temperatures will drop below the threshold set by SAWS. She added that it will remain fairly hot until the second week of February.

Authorities caution residents

Nsele urged members of the public to take necessary precautions to remain hydrated. The emergency services in and around Durban are on high alert after various cases of young and elderly people collapsed because of the extreme humidity in parts of Durban.

Spokesperson Garrith Jamieson cautioned the public to manage their water intake and rehydrate. He called on them to drink a lot of water and wait for the sun to subside before going outside. He said that many of the cases of people collapsing are due to not drinking enough fluids.

Similar heatwaves in the past 2 years

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It is not uncommon for South Africa to be hit with scorching temperatures. Gauteng, for example, experienced a heatwave in October 2024, which began with temperatures hitting the low 30s. The temperatures increased and persisted from 10 to 13 October.

Cape Town experienced a heatwave in early January 2025. The heatwave landed on 21 January and persisted until the next day. Temperatures exceeded 35 degrees, making it difficult for people to move around.

South Africans complain

Members of the public discussing the heatwave were not happy.

Matthew Viret said:

"What I can't understand in this heat is you still find some people wearing jackets and beanies."

Krishna Suren Samlall said:

"It's so hot here in Durban. I'm having hallucinations, triple cold showers, and under the aircon, but it's still getting hot."

Max KamaNxele Gabuza said:

"Same El Niño effect that almost left our water dams dry in 2018."

Ncami Shabane joked:

"They must have chowed the temperature climate money too. We need answers."

Marius Nel said:

"I'm currently in Pretoria. Super hot and no water."

Northern Cape man complains about high temperatures

In a related article, Briefly News reported that a man from the Northern Cape complained about the staggering heat in the province. Temperatures in Upington reached 33 degrees after midnight.

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The Upington man shared a video of himself sitting in his car with the air conditioning on, despite the time being after midnight.

Source: Briefly News