MEDIA STATEMENT

KWAZULU-NATAL TRAFFIC OFFICIALS BREATHE A SIGH OF RELIEF AS SNOWFALLS SUBSIDE

Traffic officials in most parts of KwaZulu-Natal have been working around the clock since Saturday morning, following heavy snowfalls which caused slippery and dangerous road conditions in most parts of the province.

Traffic officers from the Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI) were placed on full alert since Saturday morning. A Joint Operations Command Centre (JOCC), comprising of emergency personnel from local traffic departments, RTI, South African National Defence Force, South African Police Service, Emergency Medical and Rescue Services, Civil Defence and Provincial Disaster Management, was activated in Pietermaritzburg on Monday to deal with any provincial emergency situation that may arise. In Kokstad a crisis centre was set up where people could call if they required any assistance.

Snow started falling over parts of northern KZN in the early hours of Saturday morning resulting in the N3 and N11 being closed to traffic for several hours. Parts of the Midlands and Southern KZN were covered in snow on Monday, after snow fell at most places.

The N2 near Kokstad was closed yesterday after 18 trucks jack-knifed in slippery conditions during the early hours due to ice on the roads caused by heavy snowfalls.

Snow fell in the Eastern Cape and the Maluti Mountains, with particular heavy falls in Kokstad, Matatiele, Cedarville, Kingscote and surrounding areas.

Snow fell over most parts of southern KZN, Underberg and Kokstad yesterday. The N2 at Brooksnek near the Eastern Cape border had been closed due to heavy snowfalls.

The road to Cedarville and Matatiele was closed at 10h00 yesterday, but all roads were re-opened at 11h30 due to an improvement in weather and road conditions.

According to the Weather Bureau, no further snowfalls are expected with temperatures increasing from tomorrow.

KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport, Mr S'bu Ndebele has expressed his thanks and appreciation to all those emergency services personnel who made sacrifices and braved the cold weather under extreme conditions to ensure that motorists arrived safely at their destinations. "I encourage them all to persevere in their good work and to continue building the emergency services as a team we are all proud of," MEC Ndebele said.

The Minister has also appealed to motorists and other road users to be patient and to drive with caution.

Contact: Vijen Murugan on 082 808 1733.

back