Snow on the ‘Berg for Easter weekend

Festival-loving Zululanders heading to Underberg for the Splashy Fenn music festival this weekend should pack their winter woollies as snow has been forecast – and is already dusting the mountaintops.

As reported by the Snow News Facebook page, this morning (Wednesday) saw a dusting of snow on the mountains of Lesotho and Underberg, with the world-renowned Sani Pass open only to 4×4 vehicles owing to the wintry weather conditions.

This as the rest of KZN, and the Zululand region, are under SA Weather Service (SAWS) level 5 and level 4 warnings respectively for disruptive rain, for the remainder of today, with disaster management teams on high alert.

Transport MEC Siboniso Duma last night issued a warning to KZN motorists in light of the heavy rain and snow warnings, urging all drivers to exercise extreme caution on the roads and monitor weather reports.

“In particular, our highly efficient team from Road Traffic Inspectorate has been activated to monitor traffic closely,” said Duma.

Interventions

Weather-related interventions include possible road closures and observation of major routes in conjunction with the N3 Toll Concession.

“The focus is on the N3 between Harrismith and Tugela Toll, R617 between Kokstad and Underberg, N2 Ingeli and N3 Mooi River, among others,” said Duma.

“The team will also be responsible for escorting trucks and vehicles to ensure there is no congestion on the roads.”

The MEC said drivers of graders have been sharpened to respond with speed and a sense of urgency to remove any snow before it accumulates on the road, with at least 10 graders stationed on identified routes to ensure a quick response.

Should the need arise owing to potential flooding, the KZN roving human settlements team will liaise with the national Department of Human Settlements’ Emergency Housing and Mitigation unit to assist destitute families.

Don’t have the ZO app? Download it to your Android or Apple device here:

HAVE YOUR SAY