At least two persons died of hypothermia after becoming caught in the heavy snow on the N3 in KwaZulu-Natal over the weekend.
During a briefing on Sunday afternoon, KZN acting Premier Thembeni Madlopha-Mthethwa stated that although some motorists remain stuck, several had been rescued.
This comes after drivers spent two nights stranded in their automobiles owing to severe snowfall.
Madlopha-Mthethwa stated that all resources and teams have been despatched to help stranded motorists on roadways.
“These teams are working tirelessly to ensure safe passage and provide assistance as needed.” The Municipal Parks Department is on standby to clear tree debris from affected roads and locations,” Madlopha-Mthethwa explained.
“We are also collaborating with non-governmental organizations such as the Red Cross and the Al Imdaad Foundation to provide food, water, and hot meals to stranded motorists.” Provincial authorities, notably SASSA and the Department of Social Development (DSD), are actively profiling affected households and providing immediate assistance.
The acting premier further stated that officers of the South African Police Service (SAPS) and South African National Defence Force (SANDF) are on standby with helicopters to assist in delivering hot meals and evacuating people in severely affected areas.
“We urge all residents to remain vigilant, follow safety guidelines, and avoid unnecessary travel to ensure their safety during these challenging weather conditions,” according to her.
Earlier, Thania Dhoogra, spokesperson for the N3 Toll Concession, stated that the area between Tugela Plaza in KZN and Harrismith in the Free State remained a no-go zone. She also stated that there was a 30-kilometer stretch that still needed to be cleared, and they were facing challenges in removing abandoned and broken-down vehicles from the road.
Celeste Fourie, a South African Weather Service (SAWS) forecaster, said that no snow is expected starting Monday, but there will be some relatively cold conditions throughout the week.
“There won’t be any major develop or adverse weather like we experienced in the past week expect that in the western parts of the Free State there will be isolated thunder showers in the afternoon and on Tuesday, southern pasts of KZN will experience isolated thundershowers, nothing in Gauteng,” according to her.
“However, on Wednesday, there will be a cold front approaching that will bring some evening light rain and showers for the south western parts of the Western Cape.”
Fourie noted that Thursday and Friday will be partly cloudy in the Free State, Gauteng, and KZN.
“But some western parts of the country might experience some isolated rain up until the Port Elizabeth area,” she informed us.
