About eight vehicles were stuck in snow along the Swartberg Pass at the weekend as it was seen covered with snow and ice and by sunday, the Swartberg Pass was still closed to motorists as it had been damaged by heavy snow and rain.

On Friday, three vehicles were trapped on the pass, with the Oudtshoorn Municipality’s Disaster Management Centre saying that motorists had disobeyed notices stating that it was closed.

By Saturday, five more vehicles were reported to be stuck in the snow and had to be towed away.

“Heavy snowfall in the last few days has seen (the) closure of Swartberg Pass in the Oudtshoorn area. As motorists are disobeying signs of road closure, more vehicles get trapped on the pass. The conditions of the road are very dangerous and not even suitable for 4×4 vehicles.

’’More motorists continue to drive to the Swartberg Pass from neighbouring towns such as George, Knysna and Mossel Bay. Motorists are warned not to go to the Swartberg Pass. The Provincial Traffic cannot monitor there all the time,” the Disaster Management Centre said.

Oudtshoorn disaster management head Adel Supra-Vertue on Sunday said the road would not be reopened until it had been repaired.

Department of Transport and Public Works spokesperson Jandré Bakker said the vehicles were recovered by Disaster Management colleagues.

“We then put officers at entrances to the pass on both the Prince Albert and Oudtshoorn side. It is disappointing that road users disregarded closure signs. Their actions may be viewed as reckless and negligent as they risked not only their own lives but also those with them in vehicles.

“The pass will be reopened as soon as it is declared safe for vehicular access. It is not the snow alone that informs such a closure but also ice on the road surface and slippery conditions caused by melting ice. All other roads and passes in the province are open,” Bakker said.

While they understood that spectacular snow pulls crowds, Bakker said authorities urged road users never to disregard closure signs and, when on the road, to adjust their driving behaviour accordingly by switching on their headlights, slowing down and increasing their following distance.