Thousands of people are expected to hit the road this weekend for the Easter holidays, while many others will stay at home or head to church.

Whatever your plans, here are some things you need to know to plan for your weekend:

HIGH TRAFFIC VOLUME ROUTES

Major routes between Gauteng, Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and the Western Cape will start filling up from Thursday afternoon.

Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) spokesperson Simon Zwane said it has identified accident hotspots across the country and urged drivers to be careful.  

“The busiest routes have been identified as the N1 to Limpopo, N2 Western Cape to the Eastern Cape, N3 Gauteng to KwaZulu-Natal and the N4 Gauteng to Mpumalanga.  

“The main accident hotspots are also along these, such as Mookgopong on the N1, Harrismith on the N3, Mankweng in Limpopo, Beaufort West on the N1 south to Cape Town,” he said.  

Johannesburg public safety MMC Mgcini Tshwaku warned there will be a zero tolerance approach to drunk driving over the weekend.

HOW MUCH IT WILL COST TO TAKE A LAST-MINUTE TRIP

Many of those staying home this weekend have cited increased travel costs to their favourite holiday destinations.

A trip to Durban and back by car is likely to cost more than R2,500 in fuel and tolls. By plane it costs between R2,200 and R5,700 to fly on Friday, and between R3,700 and R8,100 if you want to go a day earlier.

A one-way bus ticket on Thursday will cost between R500 and R1,500. On Friday, it will be R400 to R850.

The bus services might, however, be interrupted as the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa has warned the South Africa Bus Employers' Association and the Commuter Bus Employers' Organisation employees will be on strike. Several bus companies fall under the associations.

WILL WE HAVE LOAD-SHEDDING?

Even the best of plans can be tripped up by rolling blackouts. Luckily, load-shedding looks as if it will be giving us an Easter blessing.

Eskom announced we will have to struggle through stage 4 load-shedding on Thursday but it will ease throughout the weekend.

We are even forecast to have an Easter miracle of no load-shedding through much of Sunday and Monday — no doubt due to “lower demand”.

• Thursday — stage 4 until Friday 5am
• Friday — stage 1 from 5am to 4pm, stage 2 from 4pm until Saturday 5am
• Saturday — stage 1 from 5am to 4pm, stage 3 from 4pm until Sunday 5am
• Sunday — no load-shedding from 5am to 4pm, stage 3 from 4pm until Monday 5am
• Monday — no load-shedding from 5am to 4pm, stage 3 from 4pm until Tuesday 5am

EASTER EGG HUNT IN THE GARDEN? HERE'S HOW MUCH IT'LL COST

Beacon Marshmallow Eggs are a staple at many Easter egg hunts and a box will cost you between R65 and R100.

Pick n Pay has the lowest price at R64.99 for a box of 36 eggs, while the same box costs R79.99 at Checkers. Woolworths has their own version of the eggs at R79.99 for a box of 24.

AVOID BAPTISMS, BUT MAYBE ATTEND A WEDDING?

People have been urged to refrain from performing baptism rituals in rivers and streams to avoid drownings, an appeal echoed by Johannesburg EMS spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi.

“With cases of cholera reported along the Jukskei River it might be dangerous for residents to go there and conduct baptism rituals as this might spike the outbreak numbers. 

“Let's refrain from conducting baptism rituals at the river to stop the outbreak of cholera while also preventing drowning incidents,” Mulaudzi said. 

TimesLIVE reported 74 brides will walk down a common aisle over the Easter Weekend at the International Pentecost Holiness Church (IPHC) in Zuurbekom, Gauteng.

“We will celebrate a wedding on Sunday as usual. We are expecting quite a number of people, about 90,000. The service starts on Friday and will end on Monday,” said IPHC executive council chairperson Abel Wessie.

“We have a full protocol and measures for the safety of congregants. The church is expecting visits from several high-ranking politicians,” he said.

TimesLIVE