Coal tipper trucks have completely blocked the N2 between the Canefields turn-off and the John Ross highway in Empangeni, KZN.

Both the north and south bound lanes are blocked and motorists are now using the R102 to gain access onto the John Ross highway.

Some truckers claim they had been stuck there for almost three days with no food or water.

“The problem is at the harbour. We do not know what is happening. We do not have any communication with them. Trucks are coming in big numbers. If this problem persists the entire N2 from the eNseleni turn-off will be completely blocked.

“We are going through a tough time because we do not have water to bath or to drink, and we do not have a toilet to use.

“As for the traffic congestion, I think authorities need to provide us with a truck stop where we can park our trucks while waiting for the harbour to call us in. There is no other solution to this problem,” a truck driver says.

One motorist, who did not want to be named, says she is lucky to have escaped a serious head-on-collision with one of the trucks this morning.

“I was driving from Empangeni towards eNseleni – trucks are queuing on the yellow lines on both sides of the road, all the way up to the eNseleni bridge and towards Mtubatuba.

“They are blocking motorists coming from either sides from seeing each other and we are all then forced to drive in the middle of the road without any clear vision of the road ahead.

“As a result, I almost collided with a truck trying to avoid getting hit by an oncoming vehicle. If I had not stopped the way that I did, I would have driven straight into it.

“It has become an absolute nightmare, it is complete chaos and very dangerous,” she explains.

Comment from the local departments involved has been requested.