Snowfall eases as E Cape Transport reopens most mountain passes – SABC News – Breaking news, special reports, world, business, sport coverage of all South African current events. Africa's news leader.

The Eastern Cape Transport Department says most mountain passes that were closed have been reopened as snowfall subsides across the province.

The department says roads remain slippery and has urged motorists to be cautious.  It also says there is fog and drizzle on Penhoek Pass on the N6 between Komani and James Calata resulting in poor visibility.

The department’s spokesperson Unathi Binqose says, “Much welcome developments for us, after yesterday road closures which affected the flow of traffic on some of our major roads including the N9 and the N6. But we know that we are not out of the woods yet because conditions remain wet and slippery in those areas and with the temperature still very low things can still change at any moment. So we urge road users, motorists in particular to approach those mountain passes with extreme caution.”

On Monday, government urged members of the public to remain vigilant and exercise extreme caution as severe winter weather affect several parts of the country.

Government spokesperson, William Baloyi, says, “Members of the public are reminded that weather and road conditions can change rapidly. Roads that are currently open may subsequently be closed if conditions deteriorate, while previously closed routes may be reopened once they have been assessed and cleared by the relevant authorities.”

“The public is urged to rely on official updates from the South African Weather Service, provincial traffic authorities, road agencies, disaster management structures, and emergency services for the latest information.”