The South African Weather Service (SAWS) issued a yellow level 2 warning for severe thunderstorms over parts of six provinces on Tuesday, 29 September 2026.
The warning covers North West, Gauteng and the Highveld of Mpumalanga. It also covers south-western Limpopo, the northern Free State and the far north-eastern parts of the Northern Cape.
According to SAWS, the storms could bring heavy downpours, strong damaging winds, hail and a lot of lightning. The weather service said this could lead to localised flooding of roads, low-lying areas and bridges.
SAWS said the storms could also cause localised damage to settlements and infrastructure in the affected areas.
In Gauteng, the forecast was for cloudy and cool to cold weather with scattered showers and thundershowers. The North West was expected to be cloudy, windy and cool, also with scattered showers and thundershowers.
Mpumalanga was set to be cloudy and cold with scattered showers and thundershowers. These were expected to be only isolated over the northern part of the Lowveld.
In Limpopo, SAWS forecast cloudy and cool to cold conditions with isolated showers and thundershowers. The showers were expected to be more widespread over the south-western and south-central parts of the province.
The Free State was expected to be cold in the east. The rest of the province was set to be cloudy and cool, with isolated showers and thundershowers that would be scattered in the north.
The Northern Cape was expected to be hot in places in the west. The rest of the province was forecast to be fine and warm, but partly cloudy in the east with isolated showers and thundershowers.
Along the Northern Cape coast, the wind was expected to be moderate to fresh from the east and south-east. It was set to turn north-westerly in the afternoon.
The Western Cape was expected to be fine and cool to warm, but hot over the west coast. The north-eastern parts were set to be partly cloudy in the morning.
SAWS said winds along the south-west coast of the Western Cape could be strong to near gale force. The UVB sunburn index for the province was listed as very high.
In the western half of the Eastern Cape, the weather was expected to be fine and cool, with a moderate easterly wind along the coast. The eastern half was set to be partly cloudy and cool.
Clouds were expected to build south of the escarpment and along the coast from late afternoon. SAWS forecast evening rain east of the Kei River.
KwaZulu-Natal was expected to see morning and evening fog patches over the interior. Otherwise, the province was set to be cloudy and cold to cool.
Isolated showers and rain were forecast for KwaZulu-Natal, with more widespread rain along the coast and in the far north. Coastal winds were expected to turn easterly to south-easterly in the afternoon.
Source: this article is based on reporting by The South African. Image: The South African. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice News desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Kgomotso Maake covers news and politics for Tzaneen Voice. Kgomotso reports on government, Parliament, municipalities, courts, crime and service delivery across South Africa, with a close eye on how national decisions reach towns like Tzaneen and the wider Limpopo province. Stories are written in plain English and focus on the facts: who made the decision, what it means, and what happens next.