By Rorisang Modiba
- Joburg Emergency Services is sending its safety teams into informal settlements this weekend, where a single fire can wipe out dozens of homes in minutes.
- City Power is cutting power in Soweto, Orange Farm and Sharpeville on Saturday night — exactly when temperatures hit their lowest point.
A cold front is moving into Gauteng this weekend and the people with the least are carrying the most risk.
Johannesburg will drop to 2°C on Friday night. Pretoria will reach 4°C. Daytime highs will stay around 19°C in Johannesburg and 21°C in Pretoria. The cold is expected to arrive Thursday and push through the weekend with rain and strong winds.
For residents in formal housing with electric heaters or gas, it is an uncomfortable few days. For the hundreds of thousands of people living in Johannesburg’s 353 informal settlements, it is something more serious. Most have no access to safe, reliable heating. Braziers, imbaulas, paraffin stoves and candles are what keep families warm when temperatures fall this far.
That is exactly what worries EMS.
Spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi said emergency teams will be across all seven regions of the city this weekend. But the deployment is not spread evenly. EMS is sending its Public Education Unit directly into informal settlements, where structures are tightly packed, poorly insulated and built from materials that catch fast. The service launched its winter safety campaign at the Springbok Informal Settlement, teaching residents how to use braziers safely and keep candles away from anything that burns.
“Residents should never leave heating devices unattended and should keep children away from them to prevent burns and injuries,” Mulaudzi said.
He warned anyone using a brazier indoors to keep ventilation open and to move it outside before sleeping.
The weekend also brings a power complication. National load shedding remains suspended, but City Power is running load reduction cuts across high-density Gauteng areas from 05h00 to 09h00 and again from 17h00 to 22h00. On Saturday, when Johannesburg hits its lowest point, the cuts fall on Soweto, Orange Farm, Sharpeville and Evaton. For households in those areas without another option, it means the brazier or the candle goes on at the coldest hour of the coldest night.
Anyone facing a life-threatening emergency can call Johannesburg Emergency Management Services on 011 375 5911.
Pictured above: Johannesburg Emergency Services will target informal settlements this weekend as temperatures near freezing across Gauteng.
Image source: Supplied
