"Roads travelling was hindered in coastal provinces of KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and Western Cape following snow fall on Monday. Multiple collisions were reported in many parts of these provinces," the RTMC said in a statement.

"Thunderstorms and rainy conditions are expected to spread inland from Tuesday to Thursday. The South African Weather Services is predicting severe thunderstorms with hail and heavy downpours over Gauteng in the coming days.The RMTC warns motorists there may be delays on the roads as a results of rainy weather which generally tends to affect traffic lights and visibility."

The RTMC urged motorists to keep their lights on and to increase their following distances while reducing their speed during wet weather conditions.

Motorists were urged to leave earlier in order to reach their destination on time.

"Motorists should also avoid driving during thunderstorms and heavy downpours as roads become slippery and visibility becomes poor."

Several rivers in Durban were reported to be close to flooding while rush hour traffic in the city was brought to a crawl as motorists navigated the treacherous conditions. A number of roads in the city had themselves become rivers as storm water drains failed to cope with the amount of rain.

The South African Weather Service (SAWS) forecast showed continued snow in the mountains and the KwaZulu-Natal midlands while heavy rains were forecast for along the coast.

According to the SAWS forecasts, the weather across the province was expected to start clearing on Wednesday.

KwaZulu-Natal was hit with inclement weather on Monday as snow and freezing conditions struck many of the province’s interior towns while coastal cities were hit with a deluge of rainfall.

ANA