Motorists beware: Snow closures and accidents due to slippery Mpumalanga roads

As a massive cold front sweeps through the interior of South Africa, snowfall has intensified in parts of Mpumalanga since Monday, leading to dangerous conditions on the province’s roads.

The South African Weather Service (Saws) has warned that freezing conditions are expected to persist on Tuesday, temperatures not expected to exceed 5°C in Dullstroom, Lydenburg, Belfast, Roossenekal, Mariepskop, Mount Anderson and Ermelo.

ALSO READ: Snow in Gauteng: Monday possibly coldest day in 12 years

Slippery Mpumalanga roads cause multiple accidents

Motorists have been urged to be vigilant on the roads  with multiple vehicle accidents having taken place on the N4/N12 split. 

An accumulation of snow has led to the closure of the Long Tom Pass between Sabie and Lydenburg due to vehicles being stuck in the heavy snow after motorists struggled to navigate the slippery mountain pass.

ALSO READ: Eskom increases load shedding as freezing weather grips SA

Mpumalanga Community Safety spokesperson Moeti Mmusi has also confirmed that vehicles slid off the N4 near eMalahleni on Tuesday morning, 11 July. No fatalities have been reported so far.

“We can confirm that there is snow on the roads that is making the road slippery, we just want motorists to be vigilant when they are approaching that stretch of the road and anywhere in the province as roads in Ermelo, Sabie, Mbombela and Lydenburg at this point in time are very dangerous to drive on.

“We urge motorists to be vigilant when they are approaching those roads. The R37 is completely closed at this stage and we will see as the day progresses if the road will be okay to drive on.

Mpumalanga’s blanket of snow

Areas across Mpumalanga, such as Dullstroom, eMalahleni, Belfast, Lydenburg, Ermelo and Volksrust, were covered with a thick blanket of snow after Monday’s heavy snowfall.

The Saws has advised small stock farmers that the very cold, wet and windy conditions may pose a risk to livestock, vulnerable crops and plants. Severe frost is expected until Wednesday morning.

ALSO READ: Snowfall brings an icy chill to KZN residents

Snow in Johannesburg

On Monday morning, Johannesburg residents woke up to the sight of a flurry of snowflakes dusting the city landscape.

The last time it snowed in Johannesburg was in August 2012. The meteorological event occurred after temperatures dropped to at least -6°C in the southern parts of Gauteng on Sunday evening.

ALSO READ: Joburg water outage: Come rain or snow… 58-hour shutdown starts on Tuesday

Despite the shivering conditions, delighted residents headed to social media to share their snow videos.

NOW READ: WATCH: ‘We feel like kids’ – Best of the Johannesburg snow videos