Protest action: N3 road closed at Mooi River

12:00 update: The Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI) says work is underway to try and have all lanes on the N3-southbound reopened as soon as possible. Clear-up operations are ongoing - meaning there are still major backlogs along the carriageway.

11:00am update: Authorities have re-opened the northbound carriageway of the N3 (JHB bound). According to the N3 Toll Concession's Twitter page, the Southbound slow lane (Durban bound) has been re-opened but there are still major backlogs. 

10:00am update: The situation at the Mooi River Toll Plaza remains tense. Newswatch understands that public order police, as well as members of the Road Traffic Inspectorate, are trying to disperse protesters. 

Angry protestors targeted four trucks, including a fuel tanker, setting them alight in the vicinity of the Mooi River Toll Plaza.  

The Road Traffic Inspectorate says public order police and firefighters who were called to put out the blazes were stoned by demonstrators and forced to turn back.  

RTI spokesperson Zinhle Mngomezulu says, "Police are there but because they don't have enough manpower, they are waiting for backup.  They (the protestors) are stoning whatever they're seeing in front of them. Anything that is standing in their way, they are stoning them." 

Authorities closed the N3 at Mooi River in both directions.

Mngomezulu added, "Four trucks are burning. One of them is laden with petrol. Fire engines came on the scene but they also stoned the fire engines. Now, the alternative routes, that is the R103 and the R62, that's the Greytown route, there are two trucks that are also burning. Two trucks that supply supermarkets; one is laden with groceries and they are busy looting there." 

Mngomezulu says protestors have also been lifting bottles of alcohol from a fourth truck.  She says they still don't know who the demonstrators are. 

By 9am, authorities said it could take around eight hours to reopen the N3.

This is why they are urging motorists already on the N3 to try and access the N2 and make their way to Gauteng via Mpumulanga.  Those who are planning on making the trip home from KZN today are advised to delay the journey by a few hours.