By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
N3 northbound towards Johannesburg closed following a crash involving a fuel tanker and another vehicle between Estcourt and Tugela River in KZN.
The crash claimed the lives of three people.
Road Traffic Inspectorate spokesperson Sindi Msimang says the Johannesburg-bound lanes at the accident scene are closed.
Traffic officers are diverting northbound traffic onto the centre median.
Msimang says, “It is reported that the light motor vehicle had a tyre burst while travelling on the southbound. It capsized and landed on the northbound. That’s where it collided head-on with the tanker.”
Emergency and road incident management systems (RIMS) officials are currently on the scene.
Motorists are urged to approach the area with extreme caution and to comply with all instructions from officials.
For regular, verified traffic updates, please follow @N3Route on X, or contact the 24-hour N3 Helpline on 0800 63 43 57 for emergency assistance or to report incidents on the N3 Toll Route between Cedara (KwaZulu-Natal) and Heidelberg (Gauteng).
Meanwhile Transport Minister Barbara Creecy has urged all road users to take the surge in traffic seriously ahead of the Christmas and New Year long weekends.
She revealed that more than 10,000 people have lost their lives on South Africa’s roads in 2024, with most crashes occurring late at night or in the early hours of the morning—especially over weekends.
In response, 24/7 traffic policing will be intensified on high-risk routes throughout the festive season.
Officers will focus on speed enforcement, vehicle inspections, and drunk-driving arrests, while border posts will see additional deployments as cross-border traffic increases.
Creecy said national, provincial, and municipal authorities, together with Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), are working closely to ensure strict enforcement.
Historically, the Department of Transport has targeted vehicles with severe defects, and this year the approach will be even tougher.
Any vehicle found with three or more critical faults—such as leaking engine oil, defective lights, faulty brakes, worn tyres, cracked windscreens, or expired licences—will be immediately impounded.