WATCH: Miles-long queue of trucks on N2 outside Richards Bay

AMID ongoing delays for trucks to access the Port of Richards Bay, the southbound lane of the N2 north of Empangeni has turned into a parking lot for mostly side-tipper coal trucks.

A solid queue of heavy-duty trucks can be seen from the N2 off-ramp onto the John Ross highway, backing up almost to the Enseleni Nature Reserve.

ALSO READ: WATCH: John Ross traffic congestion as backlog of trucks persists

It must be noted that the hundreds of trucks are parked in the emergency lane in an orderly fashion, and that traffic flow on the N2 southbound carriageway is not hindered.

This follows a week of truck mayhem on the John Ross highway, forcing Transnet and the City of uMhlathuze to stack them on the N2 and let only 50 through at a time.

While it is not clear if Monday’s power outage contributed to delays at the port, the sudden influx of side-tipper coal trucks on the city’s roads coincided with the widespread electrical issues that plunged Meerensee, Mzingazi, the port and Small Craft Harbour into darkness.

While some residents experienced a seven-hour outage, with power being restored at 9.30pm on Monday night, other areas came back on some hours later, while the most severely affected areas had their electricity switched back on only late on Tuesday night.

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