Unusually heavy snowfall wreaked havoc on South Africa’s roads on Saturday, leaving many motorists stranded overnight in their vehicles. By midday, efforts were still underway to rescue those affected.
The N3 highway, a major route connecting Johannesburg to the coastal city of Durban, was among the worst hit. Several sections were closed, and even alternative routes proved impassable, according to officials.
Thania Dhoogra, operations manager for the N3 Toll Concession, told ENCA that emergency services had been working through the night to reach stranded travelers, though the exact number of affected people and their conditions remained unclear.
SOUTH AFRICA
WILD WEATHER
the WOBBLE EFFECTAfrica was hit by devastating snowfalls: South Africa closed an important motorway due to ice and snowdrifts.
Severe weather hit the south-east and north-west of the country. and in some areas power grids and water pipes were damaged… pic.twitter.com/ySvkFs98yy
— ZetaTalk Followers: Watch X, Planet X, aka Nibiru (@ZT_Followers) September 23, 2024
“Emergency services have been working flat out through the night. They have been attempting to reach as many road users as they can,” Dhoogra said.
This is the situation in Montrose on N3 to Joburg…some parts of N3 in KZN & FS are completely closed Van Reenen to Thukela…it now looks like the Alps 🫶🏾 pic.twitter.com/exP6SqAwOV
— Manzini Zungu (@ManziniZungu_) September 21, 2024
KwaZulu-Natal’s provincial government reported that blankets and meals had been delivered to some stranded motorists by midday. Simon Zwane, a spokesperson for the Road Traffic Management Corporation, stated that trucks had been parked along the road since Friday, and buses traveling between provinces had been stuck at petrol stations for over seven hours.
One motorist, Muhammad Goolam, told Newzroom Afrika that he spent the night in his car with his children near Harrismith, roughly 270 kilometers (170 miles) southeast of Johannesburg. “Over 13 hours, food supplies out, I don’t see us managing to drive out of here without any assistance from emergency personnel,” he said.
Some areas experienced up to two meters (six feet) of snow, according to the Arrive Alive road safety campaign on X. South African Weather Services forecaster Luthando Masimini described the event as “extreme” and said more snow was expected, with orange warnings issued for several regions.
Despite the disruptions, the rare snowfall attracted excited visitors from unaffected areas. Justin Nadasem Baker, who drove for three hours from Johannesburg to Warden, about 50 kilometers from Harrismith, expressed his excitement. “It was a three-hour drive. We are excited. It has been many, many years since we saw snow,” he told AFP
Via Agencies