Transport department warns of these roads affected by bad weather

As the festive season draws to an end, and due to the current inclement weather conditions, the Transport Department has urged road users to exercise extreme caution while travelling.

The department on Tuesday said it received weather reports from the South African Weather Service (SAWS) regarding the inclement weather conditions that will continue to affect the country’s roads until Friday.

The warning comes after a deadly accident claimed the lives of seventeen people on the N3 toll road at Van Reenens Pass on Tuesday.

Preliminary investigations into the deadly crash involving a minibus and a truck, found that the taxi carrying the passengers swerved into the oncoming traffic lane and collided head-on with the truck. 

Bad weather

The transport department said heavy rain, strong winds and reduced visibility are expected to persist throughout the country, creating hazardous driving conditions.

The department’s spokesperson, Collen Msibi, said poor visibility as well as slippery roads have been predicted for KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), Mpumalanga and Limpopo.

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Affected roads

“Under these conditions, motorists are strongly advised not to drive between 6pm and 1am in these three Provinces.”

In Limpopo, roads to be affected by these conditions are as follows:

• N1 and R101 from Limpopo to GautenG

• N11 from AllDay to Marble Hall

• R33 from Lephalala via Marble Hall

• R40 from Phalaborwa to Barberton

•  R534 from Thohoyandou to Makhado

• R71 from Tzaneen to Polokwane

• R81 from Giyani to Polokwane

In Mpumalanga and KwaZulu Natal, roads to be affected include  the N4, N12, N11, N17, N3, R40 and R33.

Warnings

Msibi said no warning has been issued for Thursday and Friday.

“However, Mpumalanga and Limpopo will be affected by strong thundershowers from the early hours of the morning to about 10am.

“These conditions would lead to poor visibility and slippery roads particularly on the R573 Moloto Road, from Marble Hall to Pretoria,” Msibi said.

Road safety

Msibi has urged motorists making their way back from holidays to switch on their headlights during the day and keep a safe following distance with the car in front.

“Reduce speed on slippery roads, do not cross bridges where there is water overflow, pedestrians must cross streets at marked intersections and wear bright clothing when walking in dark areas.”

The transport department stressed that the current road crashes and fatalities are of “great concern”, and urged motorists to take responsibility for their safety.

The country has seen some deadly accidents on national roads with the death toll expected to surpass the stats presented by Transport Minister Barbara Creecy in mid-December last year.

Creecy painted a grim picture of the 2024 festive season revealing that Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape, Eastern Cape and Limpopo accounted for 70% of road fatalities in South Africa at the time.

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