Sand thieves fingered in sinkhole tragedy
THE site where four boys died at an N2 bridge near Nyanga two weeks ago had been inspected before the tragedy, Transport and Public Works MEC Bonginkosi Madikizela said.
Madikizela was tabling the findings of an investigation conducted by his department into the tragedy. Some people claimed they alerted the department on the excavations at the site two years ago.
The bodies of Iva Kalikopu, 13, Nqabayethu Mlaza, 12, Axolile Mabangula, 11, and Azola Quweni, 13, were recovered by emergency crews on February 8, after they fell into the hole under the bridge along the N2.
Madikizela said the boys were unaware that the area they were playing in had been undermined the previous weekend by criminals stealing fill material from the embankment.
“The tragic outcome was the sand collapse and the children were buried beneath it. I am extremely angry by what this investigation has uncovered. Criminals with no thought other than their own gain and no consideration for the safety of others put the lives of these children at risk,” said Madikizela.
He said their records showed that the site was inspected on February 5 before the accident occurred on February 8, and no problems were identified.
Madikizela added that the fact of the matter was that criminals targeting the sand and other building materials from public infrastructure was an ongoing problem along certain stretches of the N2, the N1 and the N7.
The department's acting director for road contract services and a chief engineer Simon Blyth said the bridge was not compromised.
“We sent a technical and structural team out there while they were still trying to extract the boys from cave collapse,” he said.
Councillor Khaya Yozi, whose constituency borders the N2 and Borcherds Quarry Road, said the terms of reference on the report and what the investigation was supposed to cover and the intended outcomes thereof were not clear.
“It will be great if we can have clear terms of reference in bullet point form so that we and the general public know what was the purpose of this investigation, the cost thereof and who did the investigation," said Yozi.
He said it failed to cover a very important aspect of human settlements.
“Had Vukuzenzele and Borcheds Quarry Informal Settlements relocated in March 2018, when Madikizela was a MEC for Human Settlements, the lives of these children would have been saved.”
SA National Roads Agency (Sanral) regional manager Randall Cable said it was important that they, as role players in the road construction sector, learn from the tragedy and take the lessons to better secure and protect the road reserve area.