A 39-year-old woman has tragically died after being exposed to extreme cold overnight while stuck in traffic on the N3 due to heavy snowfall.
The woman was travelling from Johannesburg to KwaZulu-Natal when the taxi she was travelling in got stuck near Mooi River on Friday evening.
The vehicle and other vehicles were blocked by snow until traffic resumed on Saturday.
The taxi later stopped at Merrivale Shopping Centre in Howick for food and drinks, where the woman fell asleep.
READ ALSO | WATCH | Families stranded in freezing cold
Roland Robertson, operations manager for Midlands EMS, said emergency responders found the woman in a critical state of hypothermia when they arrived at the scene.
“While en route to hospital her condition deteriorated rapidly. Full resuscitation was performed but sadly she was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital,” Robertson said.
He also urged the public to take cold weather warnings seriously.
We urge people not to underestimate the dangers of cold weather and to ensure they stay warm and safe at all times.
Meanwhile, snow clearing operations are underway along major routes in the province. Led by MEC for Transport and Human Settlement, Siboniso Duma, teams have been working to reopen the N3 and other major roads blocked by snow.
As of 5pm on Saturday, progress had been made on several routes, including:
- R103 from Estcourt to Mooi River
- Kokstad to Underberg
- N11 between Amajuba and Volksrust
“Some stranded motorists and trucks are now moving,” Duma reported.
Since early this morning I have been driving up and down the N3, coordinating teams from Pietermaritzburg and Ladysmith. The focus is on rescuing stranded motorists and enabling disaster response teams to provide much needed assistance.
Duma also warned the public not to travel on major snow roads to ensure safety.
“Despite some minor successes with snow clearing, people are being urged to stay away from some of the main routes affected by the snow to stay safe,” he said.
READ ALSO | Snow in KZN: Emergency services work together to help stranded motorists
On Saturday afternoon, disaster response teams continued to make gradual progress with rescue and recovery operations along the N3 toll route.
As the snowfall eased slightly, snowplows slowly approached the summit of Van Reenen Pass, followed by emergency services and humanitarian workers, who provided much-needed assistance to stranded road users.
However, authorities warned that conditions along the N3 Toll Route remained dangerous. “Visibility along the route is poor as the cold and wet weather continues.
The risk of further snowfall and black ice formation remains high as temperatures drop overnight, officials warned. Road users have been urged to postpone all travel to the region until authorities declare it safe.
For regular updates, motorists can follow @N3Route on X or contact the 24-hour N3 helpline on 0800 63 43 57 for emergency assistance.
The Witness
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