The first winter snowfall was reported on the Sani Pass, a mountain pass which connects the west of KwaZulu-Natal with Lesotho, this weekend.
SA Weather Services forecaster, Thandiwe Gumede, said since Friday night, snow started falling in a number of areas around Lesotho mountains
According to the general manager of Sani Pass Tours, Lana Jover, snow continued to fall throughout the weekend
Jover said as of Sunday morning, the snow had risen to about 70 centimetres, especially up in the Pass Mountain.
She said the Sani Pass Mountain Lodge was covered with thick snow since the early hours of Saturday morning.
“We do 4×4 tours whenever we want to go up the mountain because the snow is so thick. We are getting a number of people who are booking with us but at the moment, we can only take them up the mountain and can’t go any further because it is dangerous considering the thickness of the snow,” said Jover.
She said the snowfall was always good for tourism businesses as they experienced an increase in a number of booking and reservations from tourists.
Jover said prior to the lockdown pandemic, they used to have over 100 people coming for tours per day but that the number had dropped drastically since 2020.
However, said Jover, they were expecting more people to come in as of Monday.
“We are expecting at least 80 people per day and the number may go up and we are also getting a lot of international guests who are booking with us.
“We do get a lot of people internationally and from other provinces as well. We are very happy and hope that more snow will fall to increase the number of tourists coming in,” said Jover.
