Roads in South Africa reopen after weekend of unusually heavy snowfall left motorists stranded
Heavy snowfall closed roads and left motorists in South Africa stranded this weekend.
One of South Africa’s busiest highways has reopened today following disruption due to heavy snowfall this weekend.
The unusually severe snowfall in the KwaZulu-Natal region saw motorists travelling on the N3 highway, which connects Johannesburg and the port city of Durban, left stranded on Saturday, September 21.
In a statement, South Africa’s Department of Transport said: “"Heavy snowfall continues to blanket the N3 highway, particularly between Warden and Tugela Plaza in KwaZulu-Natal, making travel extremely dangerous.
"The ministry is deeply concerned about the situation, especially as many travellers spent the night stranded at filling stations and along the N3, unable to move due to the road closures.”
Emergency services were deployed to the area, with rescue and recovery efforts continuing into Sunday. Road safety organisation Arrive Alive issued reminders to motorists to avoid unnecessary travel in order to aid emergency services as they worked.
Roads are now reopen with the Department of Transport allowing travel from Monday, September 23.
The route is one of South Africa's busiest, with goods being transported to and from Durban.
Following the unusual weather conditions, Siboniso Duma, a Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Transport and Human Settlements in the KwaZulu-Natal government, said that the region needed to invest in infrastructure such as rail transport to offer residents greater mobility.
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