Two people were killed and another injured in car crashes on Wednesday, police said.

While snow in the southern hemisphere winter is common in the province's Drakensberg mountain area, the local weather bureau said it is usually confined to the upper slopes and that it rarely falls further down.

More snow was expected to roll in over the province early next week.

Among the hardest hit areas was the popular tourist resort destinations at the foothills of the Drakensburg mountain in the Underberg area, some 280 kilometers (170 miles) northwest of Durban.

More than 400 people were stranded for several hours in a convoy of buses and other vehicles that became trapped in the snow on Wednesday.

Beryl Robins, a tour operator near Underberg, estimated some 30 centimeters (15 inches) had fallen and that local residents including some Zulus who live in traditional mud huts were feeling the cold.

"We are just not geared for this weather, we don't have the right shoes or clothing, so it's awful trying to get around in it," Robins said.

The snow caused power and phone outages while children stayed home from school, she said.

"It snowed heavily most of yesterday," said manager Cindy Weston. "But our guests loved it. They were out there, playing and making snowmen."

TERRA.WIRE