The three culprits behind South Africa's weird weather patterns

There are three probable culprits [for recent heat waves in South Africa]: regular climate dynamics, a phenomenon known as El Niño, and global warming. Which of these is the dominant cause is a matter of scientific climate research, but there are some conclusions we can draw. Climate models project that, given the current rate of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere, and some unique features of South Africa’s climate system, like our location in the subtropics and the important role that high pressure systems play in controlling the system, temperatures in southern Africa are likely to increase by at least 1.5 times the global average rate of temperature increase.