Heavy snowfall has forced the closure of several roads in parts of KwaZulu-Natal, with authorities urging motorists to postpone travel after a truck became stranded on the R617 near Kokstad.
KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport and Human Settlements Siboniso Duma said the province’s Snowfall Response Plan had been activated as snow fell in Kokstad, Underberg, Matatiele and Clifton near Nottingham Road on Monday.
The Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI) confirmed that the R617 had been closed and that traffic had been diverted to the R56 to prevent motorists from becoming trapped in dangerous conditions.
Duma said authorities had moved swiftly to restrict access to affected routes.
“To ensure that motorists and snow chasers are not trapped in areas where there is snowfall, the Road Traffic Inspectorate is already implementing the Snowfall Response Plan,” he said.
He added that officials had already recorded a vehicle incident on one of the affected routes.
“RTI has reported that one truck is stuck on R617, Kingscote,” said Duma.
The department warned motorists against unnecessary travel as weather conditions continue to deteriorate across parts of the province.
“We are requesting motorists to delay their trips and members of the public to remain indoors, as prevention is better than cure,” Duma said.
Road maintenance teams and heavy machinery operators have been deployed to keep key routes accessible and prevent significant snow accumulation.
“As we have stated in the past, our Snowfall Response Plan involves removing snow before it could accumulate to more than 30cm in depth. In this regard, our hard-working operators of graders have been activated,” he said.
The MEC also linked the increasingly severe weather conditions to climate change, warning that extreme weather events are placing growing pressure on the province’s transport infrastructure.
“Our engineers have informed us that when water and ice seep into existing cracks on our roads and freeze, these cracks turn into large potholes. These are the realities of erratic weather patterns caused by climate change,” Duma said.
He noted that the impact of extreme weather on transport infrastructure would form part of discussions at the provincial Transport Indaba scheduled for October.
KwaZulu-Natal authorities remain on high alert as cold weather and snowfall continue to affect several parts of the province, with officials cautioning residents against travelling to snow-affected areas for recreational purposes.
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