Mashatile: Govt could've done more to prepare for heavy snowfall
Deputy President Paul Mashatile has urged South Africans to pay more attention to weather warnings.
Last week, the South African Weather Service warned of expected disruptive snow of 15 to 30cm over parts of the country.
On Friday night, the snow began to fall, leaving scores of travellers stuck on the N3 along Van Reenen Pass.
On Saturday morning, due to the heavy snowfall, several roads between Estcourt in KwaZulu-Natal and Harrismith in the Free State, as well as the southern parts of Mpumalanga and Gauteng, remained closed.
A 39-year-old woman who was stuck in her car died from hypothermia in hospital on Saturday.
“The response teams led by NATJOINTS remain on standby for any eventuality and to assist the affected communities. Even while these teams are committed to helping and saving those in need, we nonetheless ask that our people exercise caution and pay close attention to any warnings issued by the South African Weather Service,” said Mashatile.
“If SAWS says we shouldn’t drive, we should listen to them because we are in this climate change condition, and we are now experiencing the kind of weather we have never experienced before”.
Mashatile also acknowledged that the government could have done more to prepare for the extent of the snowfall.
“It is true that it was a bit unexpected that it would go to that extent. So, I think the authorities did not prepare to the extent that the snow happened because it has never happened in many years, but we have learnt that we should be better prepared for next time, and we should make sure we don’t take things for granted.
“I’m happy, though, that they were able to save many other people. Our condolences to those who have passed on.”
The government is yet to release the cost of the damage caused by the snow as investigations are still ongoing.
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