Thread by @MrCow_man

Freezing conditions have brought rain and snow to several parts of the Western Cape. For farmers in water-stressed areas the snowfall is a blessing and a temporary relief from the ongoing drought.

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Nico Gerber, a farmer in the Langkloof area, says for the last 5years they look forward to the heavy snowfall in the area.

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Visitors, as far as Jeffrey's Bay in the Eastern Cape, are flocking to De Hoop near Uniondale outside George to frolick in the snow. Farmers are pleading with people not to jump over fences as they may injure themselves, damage infrastructure or destroy crops.

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Meanwhile, the Swartberg Pass between Oudtshoorn and Prince Albert has been closed "due to the heavy snow and wet road which could be dangerous for motorists."

📸 File

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The Swartberg Pass between Oudtshoorn & Prince Albert remains closed due to heavy snowfall. "Due to motorists disobeying signs 3 vehicles are trapped on the Pass. The conditions of the road are very dangerous and not even suitable for 4X4 vehicles"

📸 Emsie Martin

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The pass has been closed since Thursday afternoon. A number of people had to be evacuated yesterday after disobeying road closure signs.

📸 File

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According to Provincial spokesperson, Jandre Bakker, disregarding road closure signs "could further have legal and insurance issues to the road user should something happen to them or their vehicle while travelling on a road that has been closed"

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This supplied videos shows how vehicles got stuck on the pass yesterday. They can only be retrieved once the road conditions are safe to drive. All stranded people were rescued.

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Oudtshoorn Disaster Management says motorists from neighbouring towns such as George, Mossel Bay and Knysna continue to drive up the Swartberg Pass. As a result more vehicles are getting stuck in the snow. Eight have been towed away since yesterday.

📸 Supplied

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Authorities say the conditions of the road are dangerous even for 4×4 vehicles. They've urged the public to refrain from disregarding road closure signs. "The Provincial Traffic cannot monitor there all the time."

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