Pretoria - The boys in blue and yellow can expect cool to cold weather conditions when they go head to head with Mexico in the opening match of Africa's first World Cup, says the weather services.
"Gauteng will experience partly cloudy conditions in the morning with a minimum temperature of nine degrees celsius," SA Weather Bureau services forecaster Lulama Menze told BuaNews on Friday. Johannesburg, where the first match kicks off this afternoon, is expected to peak at 16 degrees celcius.
"It will be cold," she said.
In Limpopo, which is currently experiencing some drizzle, the weather service expects conditions to improve.
"There is drizzle around the escarpment but it is expected to improve to partly cloudy around midday," she said.
The opening ceremony, which is expected to draw throngs of fans as well as Heads of State will kick off at 2pm this afternoon, at Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg. The widely anticipated ceremony will be followed by the 2010 opening match between Bafana Bafana and Mexico.
In the Free State, cloudy conditions in the south and east are being experienced with the average maximum expected to reach 18 degrees with Bloemfontein experiencing scattered showers.
However, the cold conditions over the Lesotho mountains are expected to continue. "They are however improving but very cold conditions will persist," said the forecaster.
Soccer fans in the Eastern Cape will have to bear with partly cloudy conditions over the western half while the eastern half experiences scattered showers.
KwaZulu-Natal fans will experience cloudy conditions in the south with isolated showers.
The Western Cape weather is expected to be sunny with fog patches forecast for this evening.
"Of the entire provinces, temperatures range between cold to very cold over the Lesotho mountains," said Menze.
