
A heavy hauler truck en route to Port Elizabeth jack-knifed on Port Alfred’s Southwell Road hill this afternoon, blocking traffic in both directions.
The driver, a Zimbabwean national, explained to Ndlambe traffic officers that the truck had lost power going up the hill, and then lost brakes. He jack-knifed while trying to stop rolling backward and wedged the truck between a safety barrier and against the ditch on the other side of the road.
Traffic chief Fred Cannon said the vehicle would be checked to see if the brakes were defective.
Cars are being diverted to alternate side streets and other trucks have queued up along the R72, waiting for the accident site to be cleared.
The driver said it was his first job for the trucking company, and ironically also jack-knifed on Albany Road on the other side of town this morning. That time, it only partially blocked the R72. This time it blocked the entire width of the road.
Its load of cement was removed after this morning’s accident.

The earlier report said:
Traffic was held up on Albany Road this morning when a truck carrying cement jack-knifed on the road. Police and tow truck operators were quick to the scene to move the obstacle and normal traffic flow was restored Picture: ROB KNOWLES