‘Over 1800 vehicles were stuck on N3 between Van Reenen and Montrose’

The KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) government says all commuters who were trapped in the snow along the N3 since Friday night have been rescued.

The inclement weather conditions led to the closure of the N3 due to the formation of black ice and fog.

Although parts of the N3 have since been reopened to traffic, abandoned vehicles and trucks are said to be causing delays along Van Reenen’s Pass between KZN and the Free State

Hundreds of road users were left stranded due to heavy snowfall and severe weather conditions in the province since Friday night. Stranded motorists were evacuated between Van Reenen and Montrose.

Government says rescue teams are assisting those still in need as many have been evacuated and are being sheltered in Escourt and Ladysmith. Some motorists had to find alternative accommodation due to the closed roads, while others were forced to sleep in their vehicles.

“And then this morning we chose to leave to continue on our vacation and we headed out on the dirt road towards Mooi, we ended up getting stuck there too with three other vehicles. I ended up being completely covered in mud, I’m half-dressed right now into something that I’ve changed into. We’re headed out to Midway and we’ve just washed up and we’re going to head on to our vacation hoping everything is good from there,” a motorist said.

“Our Al-Imdaad foundation volunteers on Friday night it was around 8h30, what we experienced we were coming back from Cape Town, we were stuck but we had to do something to assist motorist on the N3,” another motorist explains.

Larger areas in the Midlands were left without electricity and no connectivity making it difficult to communicate beyond the area. Businesses and households on Nottingham Road were struggling.

“Well, we had a very good business on Friday. Business was booming yesterday, so basically the snow has bought a lot of business to us but unfortunately it has caused quite a bit of devastation in the area, with the power being down and all that so yeah will be hoping to get the shop open right away so the next 10 or 15 minutes hopefully we have a shop open again,” says Brett Downs from Windmills Ultra Stop.

Provincial government says disaster management teams are still on the ground assisting those who are affected. Graders had to be brought in to enable access to reach those entrapped in their vehicles to provide relief.

“All passengers that were stuck on the road have been accounted for. As of last night, there was a total of 1 823 vehicles that were at some point or the other stuck on the N3 between Van Reenen’s Pass all the way through to Montrose up to the Mooi River plaza. All cars have been evacuated but there is still a problem of the trucks on the road that still need to be cleared. Many drivers abandoned the trucks and therefore we ask people to stay away from the N3 because while the road is now open but the cleaning up process needs to happen. The driving conditions are still very dangerous because of the black ice,” says Rev Thulasizwe Buthelezi, KZN MEC for CoGTA.

Although traffic is now flowing in most parts of the N3 authorities say Van Reenen’s Pass remains closed until the backlog is cleared. The Road Traffic Inspectorate is also urging motorists to stay off the roads as icy conditions can affect driving.

“The Department of Transport together with RTI inspector and other emergency services are working tirelessly to open N3 Van Reenen’s pass. As you know Van Reenen’s pass has been closed due to heavy snowfall. The public is urged to stay home or postpone travel. Truck drivers are advised to postpone travel because the trucks stops are full to capacity in the province, making trips at this stage very risky,” says Sindi Msimang, KZN RTI Spokesperson.

Meanwhile, the provincial government will on Monday lead a delegation to the two relief centres in the midlands of KwaZulu-Natal.

Road users are still urged to avoid unnecessary travel until the inclement weather conditions subside.