Trucks travelling on the N3 between Durban and Pietermaritzburg came to a grinding halt outside Mariannhill Toll Plaza on Tuesday after deadly floods, that have killed at least 20, people hit KwaZulu-Natal overnight, with Durban and surrounding areas among the hardest-hit regions.
Many residents are still missing and the SANDF had been activated to assist the province with rescue operations, KZN Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Sipho Hlomuka said on Tuesday morning.
Operations at Durban port had also stopped, according to industry sources, however, a notice issued by Transnet to stakeholders on Monday night noted that port operations were on standby for heavy rains and winds on Tuesday. “Landside and waterside operations are on standby for wind and heavy rain from 19:15 on 11/04/2022. New/unutilised appointment slots will not be available until landside resumes operations. Do not dispatch trucks to the terminal without appointments as they will not be processed,” Transnet said.
Wind speed had been recorded at gusts of 70 kmph, it added.
KZN roads, including sections of the M4 between Durban and Umhloti and the N2 south of Durban, were closed as water gushed down the freeway near the old Durban International Airport. Social media posts showed overturned trucks and containers that had dislodged from vehicles strewn across the N2 freeway, south of the city.
Road Freight Association CEO Gavin Kelly said logistics operations in the province had largely come to a standstill and the Durban port was not operating.
KZN COGTA MEC Sipho Hlomuka said the weather was continuing to cause havoc across the province on Tuesday morning.
“Residents residing in low-lying areas are urged to seek shelter on higher ground, disaster management teams have opened public facilities such as community halls for those that need shelter. The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs is working together with social partners and sister departments to ensure that there is interim relief for those that are housed in shelters. So far, the extent of the heavy rains is across the province, with eThekwini being one of the most affected areas,” he said.
The department’s teams were still collating the extent of the damage.