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Gift of the Givers has arranged for motorists affected by the heavy snowfalls along the N3 in KwaZulu-Natal to be provided with hot meals and drinks at the town hall in Estcourt, the humanitarian organisation's founder Imtiaz Sooliman said on Saturday.
He said their vehicles were following road traffic inspectors and the N3 concession company as graders moved into the area.
This, as motorists were urged to avoid travelling to the area until further notice due to icy conditions, wet weather and poor visibility along sections of the N3 route. The icy weather has caused dangerous driving conditions in KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State, the southern parts of Mpumalanga and Gauteng.
“The vehicles have blankets, hot meals, energy biscuits and drinks to give to people on the way. We are also trying to make arrangements with garages along the line so that if anybody needs hot meals and some snacks, we will pay for it at the garages,” Sooliman said.
He called on people from different areas to assist with graders. If they required payment, his organisation would not mind paying, he said.
“We tried pilots, helicopter companies, tow truck companies, all said it is not possible either to fly or to move the vehicles on the road.
“Right now we are dependent on graders stopping on the road and waiting for people to get to garages if necessary and we will make contact with several garages to fund the snacks and hot meals,” he said.
He advised motorists at the end of the queue to turn around and go back if possible, warning of long delays.
“The less congestion there is the more cars get out the way and the easier it will be for our road inspectors to get to those who are stuck,” Sooliman said.
He added the biggest challenge would be getting to those with medical conditions. He said he had already received a call from someone saying their brother was diabetic and the network was down, they had no food in the car and were unsure of their status.
“There may be other people with medical conditions. The more people get out of the road, the greater the chance of health services getting to the people once the road opens. Whoever can lend a hand please get involved. We are South Africans, we support each other,” he said.
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