Gales battering East London damaged electricity lines, and caused flights to be delayed or redirected to Port Elizabeth.
The predicted south-westerly “bluster” arrived mid-morning and sent clouds of dust and debris across the metro.
One SAA plane tried to land twice but had to be redirected to Port Elizabeth, Airports Company SA spokesperson Senzeni Ndebele said.
Residents in Cambridge were without power on Friday morning.
Buffalo City Metro spokesperson Samkelo Ngwenya said lines were down in Queens Street and Dominion Street in Cambridge.
Ngwenya said following reports to the metro, a team from the electricity department had been dispatched to Cambridge.
The gale saw flights delayed at the East London Airport, affecting scores of commuters who had visited the city for the South African Local Government Association (Salga) National Communicators Forum.
City of Mbomela spokesperson Joseph Ngala said: “We have been notified that flights have been delayed due to the weather conditions in the area.
“We were supposed to board at 12.05pm and now we have been given an estimated time of 14.15pm for boarding, that is if the weather permits.
“I am with six colleagues and we were supposed to catch a connecting flight at the OR Tambo International Airport to the Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport. Other colleagues were travelling to Limpopo.”
Ndebele said: “I can confirm that flight SA 471 from Johannesburg to East London tried to land twice in East London this morning but was unable to due to the strong wind.
“The wind was blowing at 52 knots when the flight tried to land.”
“It was diverted to Port Elizabeth International Airport. It has landed safely in PE.”..