The big freeze costs province about R400m

THE KwaZulu-Natal economy lost almost R400million in this week's big freeze, MEC for cooperative governance and traditional affairs Nomusa Dube said yesterday.

During her visit to affected areas in and around Durban, Dube said the provincial chamber of commerce had informed her that 150 trucks were caught in a 22km backlog on the N3 due to heavy snowfall from Monday night.

"Traffic authorities estimate that goods to the value of R10million travel along the N3 per hour at any given time, that is approximately 3000 trucks a day.

"Given that the N3 was closed for 40 hours at R10million per hour, it means that the cost of the road closure may be estimated at R400million," she said.

Dube said the Uthungulu, Umfolozi and Umlalazi districts were the most affected by strong winds and heavy rainfall. "We have supported affected communities with emergency relief and, where possible, sheltered people in community halls," she said.

Her office also rubbished reports that taxpayers would foot the bill to move the stuck MT Phoenix bulk tanker from Sheffield Beach in Salt Rock, north of Durban.

Dube's spokesperson Lennox Mabaso said: "No taxpayers' money will be used. It is the port's duty to deal with the matter. We as government have attended the scene to ensure that the incident does not get out of control and that all precautions have been taken," he said.

Yesterday, oil spill specialists and salvagers resumed their efforts to pump 400 tons of fuel from a 164m bulk tanker, which had run aground on Tuesday.

The South Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa) said there was no oil spill but emphasised that removing the fuel was a priority.

Last week, Samsa was granted a court order to seize and sell the tanker, after a government-contracted tug was forced to rescue the vessel when it started to drift after engine failure off the Eastern Cape coast. The owners of the vessel, believed to be Nigerians, have not been in contact with Samsa and have been unreachable.