Durban — She was stuck in a snow-enveloped car for almost three days without food and water – and now Thandi Bhengu lives to tell her harrowing tale.
Bhengu was travelling alone from Johannesburg, where she works, to her home in Pietermaritzburg when tragedy struck – she and scores of other motorists became trapped in the snow-lashed area near Montrose.
The KwaZulu-Natal Office of the Premier said that two people had died from hypothermia – a deadly condition caused by a significant drop in body temperature.
Recounting her near-death ordeal, Bhengu said: “I couldn’t breathe properly. I was terribly cold and I thought I was going to die. I did not think I would survive. I am glad that some other motorists risked their lives and started assisting others like me who were powerless.”
She was stuck from Friday evening and spent the entire Saturday with temperatures dropping to 0 degrees Celsius, with aid only coming in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Making matters worse was when her phone battery died and she was unable to charge it in her car after running out of petrol, as she tried to keep warm by running the car even though on idle.
She briefly spoke to the Daily News, using a phone that belonged to Mhlengi Dubazana, another victim who works for a national courier company.
Exhausted and shaken by the chilling experience, Dubazana said: “I am just glad to be alive. I am weak, but I am glad I survived. I just want to go back home and relax because this is a life-changing experience. I don’t know how I pulled it off.”
Dubazana was among the motorists who braved the extreme freezing weather and tried to assist vulnerable victims, including elderly people and young children.
By midday on Sunday, some affected roads had been reopened.
But, the government continued to caution would-be road users against using them until mop-up operations were officially completed.
During a media briefing on Sunday afternoon, acting KZN Premier Thembeni kaMadlopha-Mthethwa said: “All relevant departments and emergency services have been instructed to prioritise clearing affected routes and assisting stranded road users.”
While thousands of motorists have been rescued, others were still trapped, said KaMadlopha-Mthethwa.
As part of the provincial government’s response, she said: “We have deployed officers from the Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI) to assist motorists navigating treacherous roads.
“We wish to express our gratitude for the collaborative efforts of both private and public emergency rescue services, who are working tirelessly to assist stranded motorists on various snow-affected routes.”
The RTI and provincial emergency services were also deployed to assist motorists stranded on roads impacted by the snowstorm.
“These teams are working tirelessly to ensure safe passage and provide assistance where necessary. The municipal parks department is on standby to remove tree debris from affected roads and areas.
“Additionally, the SAPS and SANDF are on standby with helicopters to assist in delivering hot meals and evacuating individuals in severely impacted areas.
“Line function departments such as Health, Education, Agriculture, Edtea (Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs), Transport and Human Settlements have activated their contingency plans to ensure that the needs of affected communities are met swiftly and efficiently.”
She would not say what the value of economic loss due to the snowstorm was, saying the government had yet to assess the full extent of the damage.
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport led by Siboniso Duma announced the reopening of several roads affected by the snowstorms in the province – including the N3 Toll Route at Van Reenen’s Pass, which links Gauteng and KZN.
Among other roads that were reopened by Sunday afternoon were the N11 Ladysmith to Newcastle; Vryheid to Dundee; and Richards Bay to Piet Riet.
Former Gagasi FM DJ and Vibe FM presenter Penny Ntuli was among the motorists stuck on the ice-covered roads for three days.
Other victims included 67 school pupils from Qwabi Primary who were travelling from Durban to Qwaqwa by bus – according to the Department of Transport in KZN.
This followed a multi-pronged operation by the Road Traffic Inspectorate, SAPS, SANDF and Road Traffic Management Corporation, among others.
The South African Weather Services, which had forewarned South Africans about the imminent snow storms on Wednesday last week, has announced that temperatures would ease in the coming days.
When the situation worsened on Saturday, the Transport Ministry, led by Barbara Creecy and her Deputy, Mkhuleko Hlengwa, entered the fray, urging motorists to delay “non-essential” travel.
“The ministry is deeply concerned about the situation, especially as many travellers spent the night stranded at filling stations along the N3, unable to move due to road closures,” read a joint statement from the Transport Ministry.
The disaster-prone KZN province is still reeling from the runaway fires that left a trail of destruction in July which left 14 people dead, 30 seriously injured and more than 400 homeless.
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Daily News