Grahamstown residents were amoung the hundreds of tourists that flocked to Hogsback last weekend to get a sight of the snow which fell on the mountain town last Thursday, 28 August.
Grahamstown residents were amoung the hundreds of tourists that flocked to Hogsback last weekend to get a sight of the snow which fell on the mountain town last Thursday, 28 August.
The snow started falling around 8pm on Thursday, according to Hogsback resident and Rhodes University student, Melite Vivier.
“It fell thick and fast covering the high-lying areas in almost three feet of snow,” said Vivier.
Thick white blankets of snow covered Hogsback for most the weekend until it began to melt away in the low-lying regions on Monday. The high-lying regions and mountains are still covered in snow.
The snow brought thousands of tourists to the tiny mountain town. The roadsides were backed-up with cars as visitors frolicked in the winter-wonderland, building snowmen and throwing snowballs.
In the frenzy, some tourists even knocked on a local farmer’s door in the hopes of being granted access to play on his property. They were kindly redirected to more appropriate playing-grounds.
Businesses in the seasonal town flourished over the weekend. One of Hogsback’s popular attractions, the Butterfly Bistro had to close its doors early after running out of stock.
Siouxz Kleintjes, general manager of the Butterfly Bistro, hurried to East London to stock up on supplies after the weekend. The Butterfly sold-out of everything, “we got flattened,” she said.
The Butterfly, which planned to stay open until 8pm on Saturday night had to close its doors at 5pm in order to take stock and prepare for Sunday morning. The Butterfly’s kitchen was closed by 2pm on Sunday.
“I couldn’t be creative any more with the stock I had left,” explained Kleintjes.
She said the weekend snowfall had been good for business.
“It’s a pity we weren’t more prepared, but everyone did the best they could.”
According to Kleintjes, the last weekend snowfall was approximately 10 years ago.
Many visitors were disgruntled at the limited service over the weekend, but as Kleintjes confirmed, “it's to be expected; it’s a small town.”
“Overall it was a good weekend; the only downside was not being able to feed everyone," said Kleintjes.
