WATCH | Trucks backed up on N2 in northern KZN

The local business forum in the uMhlathuze municipality in northern KwaZulu-Natal stepped in on Thursday evening to assist in diverting large volumes of truck traffic on the N2 to an open airfield in Empangeni. 

uMhlathuze municipality city manager Nkosenye Zulu told TimesLIVE traffic had been alleviated on the N2 after the forum's intervention. 

“I received a call from the business forum chairperson who wanted to assist in diverting the trucks to a site outside Empangeni. There were concerns about them receiving the proper sign-off from authorities to go ahead and do what needed to be done. But they spoke to SAPS and went ahead to ease the traffic flow.” 

By Friday the congestion had been alleviated but locals fear this could be a common occurrence.

One resident said he feared the John Ross Highway would begin to show signs of cracking and caving in after the influx of side tippers. 

On Thursday Transnet National Ports Terminals (TNPT) put out a call to truck owners to refrain from deploying trucks to the port for 48 hours due to the huge volume of traffic.

Sources said the backlog of coal-ferrying trucks on the N2 was a direct result of the recent SANDF Armed Forces day held at the Richards Bay harbour. 

“We had a lot of military vehicles coming into the area and SANDF operations taking place at the harbour.” 

Dozens of trucks were diverted to the Empangeni airfield where they parked overnight to ease the traffic flow. 

Zulu said the port and city had a working arrangement in terms of clearing congestion on the John Ross Highway towards Richards Bay. 

“Trucks are stopped from the N2 entering the John Ross [Highway]. There is normally order because trucks park alongside the N2 so there is no congestion, but what happened over the past two days is we observed that trucks came in large numbers and the port advised us that they had problems in processing the number of trucks.” 

He said municipal traffic officials did not have power over national roads. 

“The department of transport had to take over but this posed a problem as they have no dedicated unit to deal with the N2.”

KwaZulu-Natal road traffic inspectorate spokesperson Zinhle Mngomezulu said the situation on Thursday was beyond their control. 

“We are trying to get to the bottom of the cause. Our mandate is to ensure the free flow of traffic. We have no control of the situation because we have no control over what happens in the port,” she said. 

Zulu said a meeting between the TNPT, the city and various other stakeholders was scheduled for Friday where they would discuss concerns over the large volumes of trucks entering the region. 

In September the Sunday Times reported the global scramble for coal has led to truck drivers speeding, taking unnecessary risks and even taking stimulants to stay awake as they seek to cash in on incentives to meet export deadlines.

Heavy-duty traffic on the N2 has surged as local coal producers ramp up output to meet additional demand from Europe, where Russia’s war with Ukraine has drastically cut gas supplies that would normally be used to generate power.

TimesLIVE

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