The N3 Toll Route at Van Reenen’s Pass, which connects Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, has been reopened for emergency services to help people still trapped in the snow.
This follows heavy snow hitting the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands on Saturday, making it difficult for vehicles to travel between Johannesburg and KZN.
Thania Dhoogta, Chief Operations Officer of the N3 Toll Concession, said one lane has been cleared to allow emergency vehicles through.
“Graders and rescue teams are continuing to clear a safe passage for road users stranded in the vicinity of Montrose,” she said.
Despite the severe weather, a security company in KZN helped rescue a bus with 50 schoolchildren who had been stuck in the snow for over 10 hours.
“We safely removed them and escorted the group to a nearby Engen garage,” Dew Force Security shared on social media.
DFS Security, along with other companies and RTI, also helped remove five cars trapped in the snow and provided food and aid to over 500 cars.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, one person died after being stuck in a taxi overnight in the snow.
The victim collapsed at a shopping centre in Merrivale when the taxi stopped for refreshments. They were rushed to the hospital but were declared dead on arrival.
Corporate Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa is expected to give a report on the cold weather’s impact on provinces like KZN, Free State, Gauteng, and the Eastern Cape.
Hlabisa also said a meeting with the Weather Service and disaster management teams will determine if a state of disaster should be declared.
Pictured above: Efforts to clear the N3 toll route in KZN continue.
