Residents urged to hydrate, avoid direct sun as heatwave persists

Gauteng, North West, Limpopo, Free State and the Northern Cape have been hit by a heatwave this weekend, and high temperatures are expected to continue until Monday.

Citizens have been urged to keep hydrated and avoid exposure to the sun.

In Johannesburg, the city has re-opened a number of its public swimming pools, which it had recently shutdown due to a lack of chemicals that keep the water clean and healthy.

The City of Joburg’s Ayanda Radebe says, “We are ready, the chemical situation has been fixed. All the city’s pools are open and ready to accommodate all our residents. I urge all the residents to put on trunks and to drink as much liquid as possible, and to adhere to the swimming pools’ rules.”

However, the City of Ekurhuleni has urged residents to use water sparingly.

Spokesperson Zweli Dlamini says, the municipality’s water reservoirs might be running low due to a high demand and evaporation in some of the dams that are exposed to the sun.

Dlamini adds that some parts might also experience low water pressure.

The SA Weather Service says the mercury will climb above 40 degrees in some areas, much to the consternation of residents.

Temperatures are only expected to return to normal on Tuesday.