Features / 31 January 2025 / Albert du Toit

Driving the most dangerous pass in South Africa – Photos

Stewart Drive in Johannesburg, Gauteng was at one point in time rated the most dangerous pass in the country in Mountain Passes South Africa’s (MPSA) list of Extreme Passes.

Stewart Drive links the Joburg CBD with the northernly suburbs and has gained the nickname “Snake Way” not because of its precarious cliffs, narrow paths, and loose rocks, but because of the “high levels of muggings, attacks, and even murders that take place in the bushes along this little pass,” said MPSA.

It feeds traffic into Bellevue East, Lorentzville, and Yeoville and is a stone’s throw away from the notorious Hillbrow, among the most dangerous areas within the metro, and it’s surrounded by shrubbery and trees that make it easy to find a hiding spot.

With construction starting in 1933, Stewart Drive is named after Mr. Joseph Stewart, a local man who lived in the suburb of Judith’s Paarl, in appreciation of his work in the interest of the district over a period of some thirty years.

The rugged terrain it covers rendered construction particularly difficult and heavy excavation on solid rock saw only slow progress being made, and so it took until 1935 before it was opened to the public.

The attractive low parapet wall with its open-arch design was then added in 1937 presumably to increase safety – the stone used being obtained from the excavated material of the road.

The pass runs runs across a low rocky ridge and measures just over half a kilometre from top to bottom with an elevation change of 70m.

Scaling Snake Way

Living vicariously through myself, I decided to venture out and see what the country’s most dangerous pass is all about.

At the top, you turn South into Stewart Drive from Jolly Street, starting at an altitude of 1,800m.

There’s immediately a moderate right turn which flows into a sharp left that changes the direction to South-East, and the gradient increases sharply to a stiff 1:6 – meaning you’re dropping one metre down for every six metres forward.

The road gradually winds further down easing to a gradient of 1:11, and here you catch your first glimpses of the Joburg suburbs through the tall trees and over the fetching parapet wall.

The next bend goes to the right, changing the compass to West-South-West for 80m, before coming to a hairpin left where the pitch once again steepens dramatically to 1:6.

The heading changes again into the East-North-East for the next 120m and the gradient eases off quickly to 1:100.

The final bends occur at the 490m mark in the form of a 120-degree right hander which changes the bearing to South as an S-bend is negotiated at the start of the first houses in Yeoville rising up either side.

Here the gradient gets quite steep again at 1:11 as the road drops down, and you end at the intersection with North Avenue at a total altitude of 1,730m.

Belying its reputation, Snake Way seemed to be cared for by those who use it; it’s in better shape than many of the roads around it that were badly damaged and sometimes overflowing with litter and all sorts of liquids, and there were workers who appeared to be there to tidy up the surrounding banks.

The time was just after mid-day and many commuters were making use of the pass to get to and from their destinations, but traffic kept flowing smoothly and it wasn’t too packed.

Dozens of pedestrians were also walking up and down the wide sidewalk and there were a few groups as well as a parked car who seemed to simply be there to take in the admittedly great view.

There’s also the Stewart Drive Park right at the top with creative artwork on the perimeter walls, neatly cut grass, and colourful jungle gyms; and the splashes of graffiti and paintwork found on the rock walls sprawling the pass were as tastefully done as the artform can get.

While it may once have been classed as the most dangerous pass in South Africa, it didn’t feel life-threatening to drive; however, considering the areas you traverse to get there, it’s not a pass I can recommend for curious sightseers and tourists.