She said the area has been experiencing hot temperatures for a while.

“There was an upper high weather system situated over the area that resulted in an increase of temperatures, which is the reason we had a heatwave condition in parts of SA,” Maliage said.

She said Vioolsdrif would remain hot but the temperatures would decrease by about 15°C in the next two days.

Planet Earth and Storm Report SA reported that the temperature recorded at the Viooldrif weather station is now the highest yet recorded anywhere in Africa in the modern era.

A previous record temperature of 55°C was recorded in Tunisia in 1931, but that figure was unreliable due to instruments not being calibrated to international standards then, according to their Facebook posts.