SONA road closures and the…. weather

The City of Cape Town has advised road-users in the metro to plan ahead as several routes are expected to be affected by road closures ahead of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Thursday.

With the SONA address expected to start at 7pm, the City in a statement said routes were affected from 5pm on Tuesday for rehearsals that will continue today.

Several streets in the City and Foreshore would be closed from 5pm until 10pm on Wednesday and from 6pm until 7.30pm on Thursday.

In a statement, the City said security fencing would line the route in the CBD.

“There will be guarded pedestrian crossing points during peak time on Plein St (Shortmarket, Spin and Barrack St’s.) Pedestrians should be encouraged to make use of Buitenkant Street,” the City said.

On SONA day, Company Gardens will be closed from 6pm until midnight.

“Darling St between Adderley and Buitenkant St’s and Wale St between Adderley and Queen Victoria St’s may be closed during the day on 20 June for security reasons,” read the statement.

Contingency closure in case of an emergency on 20 June 2019 (8am – 11:45pm) may include the following roads.

1. Barrack Street between Buitenkant and Plein Streets
2. Albertus Street between Buitenkant and Corporation Streets
3. Caledon Street between Buitenkant and Corporation Streets
4. Parade Street between Darling and Caledon Streets
5. Mostert Street between Buitenkant and Plein Streets
6. Buitenkant Street between Glynn and Wesley / Mill Streets
7. Darling Street between Adderley and Canterbury Streets
8. Adderley Street between Strand and Bureau Streets
9. Longmarket Street between Buitenkant and Long Streets
10. Church Street between Burg and Adderley Streets
11. Burg Street between Wale and Longmarket Streets

The City said no parked vehicles will be permitted on the M3 between Princess Ann and Philip Kgosana Drive (De Waal Drive).

In Newlands, vehicles would not be permitted on Princess Anne Ave and Klipper Road, between Main Road and M3. This will also be the case on several roads in the City/Foreshore and Parliament/Company Gardens precincts.

Alternative routes to the City Bowl during the SONA include:

1. From the N2 (Settler’s Way): N1, FW de Klerk Blvd via M5 (Black River Parkway), or M7 (Jakes Gerwel Dr).
2. From the M3 (Union Ave): M5 (Black River Parkway) and N1 (FW de Klerk Blvd) or M4 (Main Rd), onto Victoria Rd, right onto Christiaan Barnard Rd to circle the outer CBD.
3. De Villiers is closed; no access to Roeland St; Annandale/Orange St.
4. Citizens have been advised to use lower CBD and circle around. Unless it’s for local access into the residential areas, right onto Christiaan Barnard Rd to circle the outer CBD.

The City said the Golden Acre bus terminus will operate as per normal on Thursday.

“Bus operations from the terminus will proceed via Lower Plein St, Strand in the event Darling St is closed to traffic. Incoming buses will divert via Russell St, Strand St to the terminus. Note with this ceremonial route.

“Buses will operate as per normal from terminus into Darling St. In the event the Gathering on the Grand Parade becomes disruptive to traffic then exit via Strand St,” the City said in the statement.

Despite earlier predictions of heavy rain for the State of the Nation Address, the South African Weather Service (SAWS) expects a fine day with no rain in Cape Town tomorrow.

SA Weather Service Forecaster, Wayne Venter, said temperatures will be in the mid-20s and high level clouds are expected.

“There will also be light to moderate wind speed to the North-Westerly direction,” he said.

President Cyril Ramaphosa will deliver the State of the Nation Address at 7pm to a joint sitting of Parliament. The speech will be broadcast live on various television and radio stations.

Venter said the rain is expected to arrive on Friday and warned motorists to be cautious.

“We expecting light rain in the morning and that will continue throughout the day,” he said.

Due to the predicted rain, the Department of Public service and Administration has announced the postponement of the Presidential Golf Challenge (PGC) which was scheduled for Friday in Stellenbosch. The golf challenge is a usual feature on the post-SONA calendar.

In Gauteng, specifically Johannesburg, Venter said for the next couple of days, the temperatures will be in the 20s and cold weather is expected late evening on Saturday and that to continue to Sunday. – SAnews.gov.za