The South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (Sanral) has announced that the weather warning issued by the South African Weather Service (Saws) could affect the Western Cape roads.
The weather service said disruptive snowfall is expected over the province's Cape Winelands, Cederberg, Stellenbosch, Paarl, Central, and Little Karoo mountains.
The closure of the following mountain passes are likely; Swartberg, Franschhoek, Hex River, Ouberg, and Katbakkies. Snowfall accumulation of between five to 10cm is expected with possible low-level or ground snowfall, especially over the southern high ground of the Northern Cape and the Cape Winelands, the weather service said.
Sanral said the weather warning, which has increased from level four to level five, and the heavy rainfall and icy temperatures could impact mobility on certain routes.
“The icy conditions could affect mobility on the N1 between De Doorns and Beaufort West, and our Routine Road Maintenance (RRM) teams are on high alert to respond to any incidents on the network,” Sanral regional manager, Randall Cable said.
SANRAL, through its Road Incident Management System (RIMS) works with all road authorities and government services, including emergency medical services, police, traffic, and RRM to coordinate the most appropriate response to all incidents reported on the network, via centralised communication centres (CCC).
“Some routes in the Northern Cape, including the N1, N9, and N10 are also likely to be affected by snow, rainfall, and freezing temperatures, and road users are requested to delay travel where possible,” Cable said.
Sanral appeals for cooperation, compliance with road traffic authorities, and for road users to take weather warnings seriously.
Western Cape CCCs
– Cape Town Metro - 021 480 7700
– Cape Winelands - 023 346 6000
– Central Karoo - 023 449 8000
– Overberg - 028 212 9111
– Garden Route - 044 805 5071
– West Coast - 022 433 8700
Northern Cape CCCs
– Frances Baard District - 053 833 9264/9290
– Pixley ka Seme District - 053 631 0860/0088 or 073 996 8036
– ZF Mgcawu District - 054 337 9700 or 087 759 2153