By Johanathan Paoli
Emergency services are continuing escorting stranded motorists and other road users out of heavy snow affected areas in the Free State and KwaZulu-Natal.
The Road Traffic Inspectorate and N3 Toll Concession (N3TC) Route Services have been active since Saturday morning, with the unfortunate death of one victim to hypothermia after being exposed to severe cold overnight while in a taxi stuck on the N3.
Travel warnings are still place for several regions and the situation remains critical, however, many have expressed their gratitude for being rescued.
Arrive Alive have been warning against using several sections of the N3 around the Midlands area, due to the extreme weather conditions and the hazardous highway.
While the snowstorm has blocked major routes, including the R74 Greytown/Colenso Road and the N3 (Harrismith to Tugela Toll); the R74 (Harrismith to Bergville) and the R617 (Kokstad to Underberg) have been cleared and are open.
The N3TC confirmed on Sunday that the highway remains closed at Van Reenens Pass due to consistently hazardous conditions, with rescue and recovery continuing between Van Reenen and Swinburne and Montrose.
N3TC chief operating officer Thania Dhoogra said that light cars were being cleared first, and while trucks remain stuck, relief aid was being provided.
Dhoogra said that emergency teams were attempting to clear thick snow and remove obstructions from the roadway in order to reach stranded road users and restore mobility as soon as it was safe to do so.
Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa has undertaken to release of a full report on the provinces affected, including Gauteng and the Eastern Cape.
Following interactions with both the SA Weather Service and the intergovernmental committee on disaster management, Hlabisa would decide whether it was necessary to declare a state of disaster.
The minister said that interdepartmental cooperation was the highest priority at a national level to address and assist in the afflicted areas.
“At a national level we are coordinating with all provinces, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga. All the joint operating centres are active from district level to provincial level and we have activated municipalities along which people are trapped,” Hlabisa said.
Government has reportedly confirmed the deployment of resources from the South African National Defence Force, to assist in rescue operations in the region.
Acting KwaZulu-Natal premier Thembeni Madlopha-Mthethwa will address the media on Sunday afternoon on the provincial government’s interventions.
The briefing is expected to outline emergency measures, coordination with rescue teams, and steps being taken to ensure the safety of residents and road users.
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