Snow shut the roads. It also drew a crowd
This week’s snow closed roads, stranded motorists and dominated warnings across the Eastern Cape. But according to eNCA, it also did something else: it…
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This week’s snow closed roads, stranded motorists and dominated warnings across the Eastern Cape.
But according to eNCA, it also did something else: it sparked a genuine moment of joy for visitors who went looking for the snow on purpose.
While heavy snowfall disrupted the R58 and forced extreme caution on affected passes, eNCA reported that many people found real delight in the experience, turning a travel disruption into exactly the kind of scene that keeps drawing visitors back to this part of the country year after year.
Rhodes and the Eastern Cape Highlands were built for moments like this
Rhodes has long been one of South Africa’s most deliberate snow-chasing destinations, often described as the country’s closest thing to a European winter village.
Snowfall here settles along Naude’s Nek Pass and across the surrounding hills, drawing visitors who want frozen mornings and quiet fireplaces rather than pure spectacle.
Barkly East and the Eastern Cape Highlands offer a similar pull, with Joubert’s Pass holding onto snow longer than most of the surrounding landscape.
Tiffindell has been waiting all year for weeks exactly like this one
Higher up on the slopes of Ben Macdhui sits Tiffindell, South Africa’s only ski resort and one of just two in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Established in 1993 and once ranked in CNN’s Top 100 Ski Runs of the World, Tiffindell exists specifically for winters that bring snow like this week’s storm.
There’s something genuinely lekker about a country with as little snow as ours turning a single cold front into its own small tourism season, hey.
It’s the same system we broke down in Meet “Snowtember”: the SA snowstorm this week still can’t beat, and it says a lot about how much South Africans love a proper winter moment when one finally arrives.
Would you drive toward the snow, or stay well away from it?
Let us know in the comments below, Mzansi…
Is it snowing in your area? If so, please send your photos to info@thesouthafrican.com