Kaaimans Pass: The longest wait

The recent chaos caused by two trucks colliding around a bend in the Kaaimans Pass led to arguably the longest wait and the longest queue due to an accident there in recent memory.

- Kristy Kolberg

At one stage on Sunday 2 November, the traffic was backed up all the way from Wilderness to Sedgefield - and then some.

Many motorists were stuck in their cars for hours on end with children, pets and elderly family members, or alone with their radio, as the temperatures climbed into the high 20s. It turned into a hot, long and frustrating day for those trapped on the roadwork-burdened pass - the only legally available route between George and Wilderness.

Repairs on the alternative road in the Seven Passes had been expected to start in October this year, with the estimated opening date being sometime in the last quarter of 2026.

However, this does not mean full completion, and the road is officially still closed for traffic.

Even so, in their desperation, some motorists ignored that fact, and the prospect of waiting for hours on end with no way to turn around was simply not an option.

This created further chaos as the Seven Passes Road quickly backed up with slow (yet moving) traffic between George and Wilderness.

The others who were already too deep into Kaaimans Pass, wedged between vehicles, had no choice but to sit it out for more than four hours.

Flights, dogs and medical supplies