Motorists returning from the long weekend faced severe traffic delays at the Middelburg Toll Plaza on the N4 on Monday evening (August 10). This followed an unexpected power failure at the plaza that temporarily crippled lane operations.

According to Trans African Concessions (TRAC), a power-related technical fault forced a full system restart during one of the busiest travel periods of the month.

Read: Mpumalanga motorists warned of Women’s Day long weekend travel delays

At the height of the disruption, traffic moving westbound was squeezed into just four lanes, causing heavy congestion as hundreds of road users headed back to Gauteng.

Technical response

TRAC spokesperson Solange Soares confirmed that technical teams were dispatched immediately to rectify the system failure. She added that diagnosing the underlying issue caused initial delays.

“The system had to be restarted. Unfortunately, it occurred on a peak traffic day, on the busier direction towards Pretoria as road users return to the city after the long weekend,” said Soares.

“We responded immediately to the problem, but it took some time to identify and resolve the fault. We sincerely apologise for the delays and inconvenience.”

Plaza operations Restored

Soares confirmed that the fault has been resolved and the plaza is once again fully operational in both directions.

Motorists navigating the N4 route are advised that while the plaza infrastructure is operating normally, residual congestion surrounding the Middelburg area may take time to clear completely. ‎