Wood and paraffin sales are soaring in parts of the eastern Free State, where a cold front continues to unleash a bitter cold front.
Residents of Meqheleng in Ficksburg say they are doing whatever they can to stay warm and safe.
Perched around the mountainous area, the community of Meqheleng knows the harsh weather conditions they face each winter season as temperatures plummet to freezing cold.
The weather brings a severe cold to young and old alike; however, for some, the chilly weather brings much-needed business.
“All I can say is that we will continue to sell wood because Ficksburg is very cold with constant rain. We can’t stop selling wood because if we do, our people will suffer. A lot of people here in Ficksburg don’t have electricity; they rely on wood as a source of energy,” says one resident.
“It’s very cold, and this is the only way to help the community. I make sure I assist them by selling wood and paraffin just to keep warm, as it is too cold,” adds another seller.
Parts of Free State covered by snow due to the intense cold front, resident selling wood:
Hailstorm hits the area
Meanwhile, Setsoto Local Municipality Mayor, Seipati Mbiwe, says all their emergency services are on standby should the need arise.
This is after the area experienced a hailstorm on Monday instead of expected snow and continues to experience extreme cold like other parts of the country.
The municipality says it is ready to deal with any eventualities.
“However, on Monday, we experienced a very serious hailstorm that covered the whole town, which lasted an hour. This morning, we woke up to extremely cold weather, like we normally get. We know this time the mountains Lesotho area will be covered in snow, where we are now receiving the cold air from that area.”
Setsoto Local Municipality hit by hailstorm instead of the expected snow:
