Absolute "extreme case" Snowfall in South Africa causes chaos on the roads

There was unusually heavy snowfall in the north-east of South Africa on Saturday. This led to severe traffic obstructions. Several sections were closed.

Unusually heavy snowfall caused severe traffic delays on the roads in north-eastern South Africa on Saturday. The N3 national highway, which connects Johannesburg with Durban on the east coast, was one of the worst affected roads.

Several sections were closed and even detours were impassable, according to the authorities. Many people had already spent the night in their vehicles and were still stranded, it added.

In some areas, up to two meters of snow had fallen, explained the Arrive Alive road safety campaign on the X online service. Further snowfall was expected; according to the national weather service, this was an "extreme case".

As the Enca channel reported, citing the highway administration, the emergency services worked all night and were still trying to reach the people trapped in the vehicles. It was not initially known how many people were affected and what condition they were in.

Blankets and meals were distributed to some drivers, the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government said. According to the Border Protection Agency, three crossings to the Kingdom of Lesotho were closed as "the current conditions pose a significant risk".

However, the rare weather phenomenon also attracted curious onlookers: "We are excited. It's been many, many years since we've seen snow," Justin Nadasem Baker, who traveled three hours by car with his family to see the snow, told the AFP news agency in Warden.

SDA