BuaNews (Tshwane)
Dirk Nel
5 April 2004
Polokwane — Limpopo is bracing itself for an exceptionally busy Easter weekend, with road safety and law enforcement authorities ready to handle the expected sharp increase in traffic volumes.
The coming week will be an extremely demanding one for provincial traffic personnel in the region.
The annual influx of more than a million members of the Zion Christian Church (ZCC), for their annual Easter Convention at Moria, 40km east of Polokwane, is expected to begin late on Thursday afternoon.
In addition, there will be heavy holiday traffic on roads leading to inland resorts and the Kruger National Park.
The provincial traffic department has warned holidaymakers that both the N1 toll route and the alternative R101 between Gauteng and Limpopo will be very congested on Thursday night and Friday morning.
After a quieter period on Saturday and Sunday, traffic flows will again pick up dramatically on Sunday night and Monday morning.
More than a thousand buses, as well as hundreds of taxis and pick-ups, will be travelling to and from Moria alone.
Meetings between all the authorities concerned have been held during the past week, and the ZCC will again ensure that departure times of busses from Moria on Sunday and Monday are carefully staggered.
The recommended route between Polokwane and Tzaneen during these peak periods is the R81 via Mooketsi and Duiwelskloof.
The Limpopo Tourism and Parks Board says resorts in the province, as well as tourist camps in the northern section of the Kruger National Park, are almost fully booked for the long weekend.
Meanwhile, emergency road repair projects are underway in the northern region of Limpopo, to improve access routes to polling stations, ahead of next week's elections.
Several bridges were damaged during recent heavy rains in this area of the province.
Provincial electoral officer Zwo Nevhutalu says he is satisfied with the progress being made, and is confident that voting in these districts will not be disrupted.
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