March 23, 2026 – eRadio SA – Live from the Garden Route

Weather outlook: 23 – 29 March

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The South African Weather Service (SAWS) says typical autumn weather systems will dominate over the country this week.

“This consists of a surface trough over the western and central interior, with the Atlantic High extending its ridge over the southern and eastern parts of the country, resulting in isolated to scattered showers and thundershowers in places,” SAWS said on Monday.

Monday’s forecast shows partly cloudy and cool to warm with isolated to scattered showers and thundershowers, but widespread in KwaZulu-Natal.

Low chances of severe thunderstorms in the Eastern Northern Cape, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Gauteng.

There is a low to medium chance of flooding due to heavy downpours in the Eastern Northern Cape, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Gauteng.

On Tuesday, the weather will be partly cloudy and cool to warm with isolated to scattered showers and thundershowers, but widespread in KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga.

There will be a low chance of severe thunderstorms in the Eastern Northern Cape, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Gauteng.

A low to medium chance of possible flooding due to heavy downpours in the Eastern Northern Cape, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Gauteng.

Possible flooding due to heavy downpours:
Wednesday - Low to medium chance in the Eastern Northern Cape, Free State, and Eastern Cape.
Thursday - Low to medium chance in the Eastern Northern Cape, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga.
Friday - Low to medium chance in the Eastern Northern Cape, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga.
Saturday - Low to medium chance in the Eastern Northern Cape, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga.
Sunday - Low to medium chance in the Free State, KwaZulu-Natal Eastern Cape, and Mpumalanga.

Possible severe thunderstorms:
Wednesday - Low chance in the Eastern Northern Cape, Free State and Eastern Cape.
Thursday - Low chance in the Eastern Northern Cape, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga.
Friday - Low chance in the Eastern Northern Cape, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga.
Saturday - Low chance in the Eastern Northern Cape, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga.
Sunday - Low chance in the Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga.

Western Cape Foot-and-Mouth Disease response proceeding well as more vaccine doses arrive

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The Western Cape’s coordinated Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) response plan has been further bolstered with the arrival of 8,000 more vaccine doses in the province.

This will supplement the 100,000 doses the province received last week, bringing the total number to 170,400 doses received so far.

“More than 121,000 vaccination doses have been administered across 438 vaccination sites, with the support of 29 private vets. These herculean efforts to contain and eradicate FMD are proceeding well,” said Premier Alan Winde during a weekly meeting of Western Cape Government officials, district Mayors and agricultural stakeholders to ensure the 21-response plan is managed properly.

“As a province, we are pushing to procure our own FMD vaccines and fully implement a permit system. This would further streamline our response to the outbreak. We urge the national Department of Agriculture to enable us to do so through the necessary regulatory processes,” added Premier Winde.

The Premier stated that while the outbreak is being adequately managed in the province, every stakeholder must remain alert and agile. Together, we can protect the provincial herd and economy.

“I want to thank everyone, in our government and the private sector, who are stepping up to get this job done. Too many jobs are at stake, and we will do everything possible to protect this critical industry,” added the Premier.

Provincial Minister of Agriculture, Economic Development and Tourism, Dr Ivan Meyer, added, "We continue to prioritise the strengthening of all systems that monitor and manage animal movement across the province. These controls remain one of our most important lines of defence in preventing further spread of FMD. As we approach the busy Easter period, we will be intensifying FMD checkpoint operations to ensure full compliance with veterinary movement protocols. I want to thank our veterinary teams, law enforcement partners, and all industry stakeholders for their ongoing cooperation. Protecting our livestock sector is a shared responsibility, and together we will continue to safeguard animal health and the economic stability of our rural communities."

Decline in road crash stats

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Government is making progress in reducing road accidents, with the latest preliminary data for the period 1 January to 15 March showing an 11% decline in crashes compared to the same period in 2025.

“Every province has seen a decrease in the number of crashes. Fatalities have decreased by 10% compared with the same period last year,” Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy said on Friday.

Six provinces recorded decreases in fatalities: namely Gauteng, Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, North West and Eastern Cape.

“This progress was not accidental; it is the direct result of coordinated law enforcement, strategic partnerships with civil society, and a shift in the collective consciousness of our road users. However, we cannot rest on these laurels. As long as one family still receives a knock on the door with news of a tragedy, our work is not done,” Creecy said.

She was addressing the launch of the 2026 Arrive Alive Easter Road Safety Campaign under the theme: 'It Begins With Me', on the N3, near Spruitview Offramp, East Rand.

The Easter holidays are marked by an increase in traffic on major corridors as travellers embark on various religious and holiday destinations.

Government has appealed to travellers to take personal accountability when using the roads during the upcoming holidays.

“Over 80% of road crashes are the direct result of human behaviour. We are calling on every driver, passenger, and pedestrian to take ownership of their conduct on our shared roads.

“Our law enforcement strategy over this time will be uncompromising. I have directed all agencies to prioritise public and freight transport safety as well as pedestrians,” the Minister said.

This year, there will be a targeted focus on preventing pedestrians from crossing and walking on highways.

“We will also patrol areas of entertainment near highways to prevent inebriated pedestrians from running across major roads. Pedestrians currently account for almost half of all road deaths.

“Traffic Authorities, for the first time this year, are instructed to deploy their students to patrol these national critical pedestrian locations and not release students to go home,” she said.

Law enforcement visibility in and around pedestrian accident-prone areas will be assisted by the members of the communities and support from the South African Police Service (SAPS).

“We continue our intensified focus on drunken driving. We are currently pursuing legislative amendments to Section 65 of the National Road Traffic Act to further tighten these restrictions.

“High-risk routes, including the N1, N2, N3, and N4, will see an unprecedented saturation of mobile and static checkpoints, as we intensify traffic policing on critical corridors together with the deployment of the National Traffic Police,” Creecy said.

In addition, in April, there is an increase in mobility across the region, with heightened movement of passengers and freight between South Africa and neighbouring countries.

“I call upon the Cross-Border Road Transport Agency to intensify monitoring and enforcement along key corridors to ensure full compliance with permit conditions, regulatory requirements, and overloading of freight and passengers.

“We will also prioritise vehicle roadworthiness and fatigue management, and clamp down decisively on illegal operations and non-compliance,” the Minister said.

She called on road users to use the roads responsibly and respect each other.

“I urge those who will be undertaking long-distance journeys to stagger your travel times to avoid peak congestion and to stop every two hours to combat fatigue. To the pedestrians: Be visible, and do not cross major highways while under the influence,” the Minister said.