Joburg traffic: Why it gets worse in winter
Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town are notorious for heavy traffic, but why does it seem to go from bad to worse in winter?
The cold is not the only thing that winter brings to Johannesburg.
It all seems to sound the alarm about bad traffic, or, in the City of Gold's case, worse-than-normal congestion.
If you have noticed that your morning commute to work is chaotic in winter, you are not alone.
There are a few reasons why traffic on Joburg's highways seems to be at a standstill when the cold season rolls in.
The spooky fog
There's nothing supernatural about this weather phenomenon, but there's usually more fog in winter. Just this week, Jozi was covered in a thick cloud of mist and fog. Fogs reduce visibility, which results in cars driving much slower than usual, which, you guessed it, causes a traffic backlog.
"A thick blanket of fog and mist has significantly reduced visibility across major arterial routes, highways, and residential areas throughout most parts of the city," Johannesburg's Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) said.
"To ensure that everyone reaches their destinations safely, JMPD urged all road users to adhere to the following safety guidelines."
Midrand - N1 Highway: still misty towards Olifantsfontein Road / New Road pic.twitter.com/59rc8INOAL
— TrafficSA (@TrafficSA) June 23, 2026
Later starts in the morning
Nobody wants to get out of their warm bed and head out into Johannesburg's outdoor refrigerator.
Most people hit snooze a couple of times before finally dragging themselves into the shower. It's cold and dark when they leave the house and drag their feet to the car or public transport.
Instead of leaving by 7 am, they're out the door at 7:30 am. Late starts usually create a bottleneck during morning traffic. Someone who lives close to work and leaves at their normal 7:30 am suddenly finds themselves stuck in traffic.
Increase in road accidents
Fog, wet roads, and poor visibility due to bad weather, later sunrises and sunsets, often spell disaster. The number of accidents increases in winter, leading to more traffic.There is just no escaping Joburg's notorious traffic.
According to the Automobile Association (AA) of South Africa, the city is among South Africa's most congested. Cape Town, East London, Pretoria, and Durban are also in the mix.
A 2025 INRIX Global Traffic Scorecard ranked Cape Town among the top 10 cities in the world with the highest traffic delays.
Cape Town commuters lost 96 hours per year due to traffic delays.
Pretoria and Cape Town experience similar winter problems, which makes traffic feel like a nightmare.
After all that drama, you finally arrive at the office and receive the most annoying message in your inbox: I hope this email finds you well.
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