THE South African Weather Service has warned of a heatwave that has hit some parts of the country on Wednesday, 22 November.
Residents have been urged to be safe, stay away from the heat and remain hydrated.
According to the weather service, the heatwave in parts of the country will result in high temperatures until Friday, 24 November.
The weather service said persistently high temperatures are expected in the central and eastern parts of the Free State, North West, Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and the western parts of the midlands of KZN up to at least Friday.
On Wednesday, 22 November, City of Joburg's Emergency Management Services said they have noted with concern the warning from the weather service.
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EMS spokesman Robert Mulaudzi has urged residents to stay hydrated by drinking lots of water and to stay away from direct sunlight, especially between 11am and 3pm.
“Residents who are working directly in the sunlight are urged to take regular breaks as exposure to these extremely hot temperatures can cause heat exhaustion, and heat cramps which might lead to heat stroke.
“Young children who want to cool themselves down during these extremely hot temperatures are encouraged to visit municipal swimming pools instead of swimming in river streams and dams. Municipal public swimming pools have lifeguards on site to monitor young kids while swimming,” Mulaudzi said.
He said they'll remain on high alert, and residents are urged to call their Emergency Call Centre on 011 375 5911 for all life-threatening emergencies.
