South African Weather Service debunks hoax social media post
The SAWS has cleared the air about a viral message doing the rounds.
Social media has become a hub for fake news, with many people still falling for the occasional hoax message.
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People are urged not to share unverified information, after the South African Weather Service (SAWS) had to clear the air following a recent unfounded report posted online.
The hoax message has been circulating on social media, claiming that a cold spell will affect the entire country until August 2025.
The message also states that this cold spell will result from the Aphelion phenomenon.
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According to Britannica, the "aphelion, in astronomy, the point in the orbit of a planet, comet, or other body most distant from the Sun. When Earth is at its aphelion in early July, it is about 4,800,000 km (3,000,000 miles) farther from the Sun than when at its perihelion in early January."
The SAWS has released a statement debunking this claim, stating that it is false and misleading.
They have confirmed that seasons are determined by the Earth's axial tilt, not the distance variation mentioned in the hoax message.
According to our seasonal climate watch, issued on the 2nd of May 2025, minimum and maximum temperatures are expected to be above normal for most parts of the country during the winter season, above normal meaning that the temperatures are expected to be warmer than what we would get during our winter months.
You can read the full statement below:
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