Highway under repair washed away in KZN
Shiraz Habbib and Jana Boshoff
Repairs to a section of the M4 Ruth First Highway in KwaZulu-Natal that was damaged by heavy rain more than a month ago, has been set back indefinitely after yet another collapse on Monday evening.
Construction crews arrived at the site of the repairs yesterday morning to find that the road had yet again been washed away.
The heavy rain caused a deluge of sand and water to move a structure, which had been put in place by engineers to reinforce the embankment.
There is added concern for Umhlanga Cabanas holiday resort, located directly below the busy highway, as the support structures have been dislodged.
Yesterday, various stakeholders from the department of transport, Metro police, the eThekwini municipality and Umhlanga Urban Improvement Precinct met to discuss the way forward.
Concern has also been raised about the Umhlanga Reserve, which has also been impacted by heavy rain in the area.
Senior Superintendent Parboo Sewpersad of the Metro police said the road would be closed throughout the festive season and well into next year.
Meanwhile, motorists planning to travel between Middelburg and Hendrina in Mpumalanga were warned to make use of alternative roads, after reports were received that the Klein Olifants River was flooding a low-level bridge on the N11.
Reports of a car that had been washed away near Breyten were confirmed by a witness, who said that the driver of the car managed to get to safety and was attended to by paramedics.