SOUTH AFRICA – An unseasonably late snowstorm left a trail of destruction in South Africa earlier this week, closing several major highways and leaving motorists stranded across the country. Farmers crops were buried for days, while emergency personnel towed stranded vehicles and distributed food and warm beverages to stranded drivers. The provinces of KwZulu-Natal and Free State saw the most snow.
GG Conservation Glen Garriff, a lion sanctuary in the Harrismith area of the Free State province, captured some pretty incredible footage of their lions in the snow storm. The big cats seem mostly unbothered by the weather, but it’s pretty incredible to see the “King of the Jungle” surrounded by some fairly deep snow.
While snow isn’t common in South Africa, it does happen from time to time. Though it’s currently for sale and hasn’t been open for a while, the country did have a functioning ski area, Tiffindel, up until the Covid-19 pandemic. Lesotho, a country fully enclosed in South Africa, also has a ski resort, Afriski, that’s still open during ski season.