Holes in roads swallow vehicles
OVER the long weekend a number of incidents of vehicles plunging into sinkholes on roads in Overport and Umbilo trended on social media.
In Overport alone, at least four cars had to be towed away after getting stuck in a hole on Peter Mokaba (Ridge) Road.
Another incident occurred in Umbilo Road on Saturday, when a vehicle fell into a large hole in the early hours of the morning. The hole had no hazard or warning marks or signs around it at the time of the incident.
Imtiaz Syed, a PR councillor and chairperson of eThekwini Secure, said there were no barricades around the two large holes in Peter Mokaba Road when a Mercedes-Benz and a Mini Cooper plunged in on Sunday night.
Syed, along with members of eThekwini Secure, metro police and the community policing forum in the area, assisted the vehicles and barricaded the area with bollards and tyres after the incidents occurred.
He said it was believed that the holes were made when the roads were dug up by contractors for water leakage repairs.
He said that 147 water main leaks were reported and repaired in ward 31, of which 69 were reported in Peter
Mokaba Ridge alone. “There’s a leak and repair on this road every six days on average.
“The number of vehicles that have been damaged in this period is unknown because many happen late at night or in the early hours of the morning.
“Through the Active Citizens Coalition, of which I am the leader in council, we have requested answers to the issue. Some responses make it clear that to date, it has not occurred to the water department that this line will need to be replaced. They have commented feebly that it would take six to 10 weeks for planning and no funds have been set aside for this.”
Residents have been inconvenienced significantly over the past few years and have not been compensated for damages to their vehicles, he said.
“The major issues arise around the mandate within the city for road reinstatement. Even if a contractor is appointed to undertake road repairs, it’s clear that the workmanship is substandard and unequal to fair use.
“We end up with dips and uneven surfaces a day or two after the repair. It’s quite clear that the Transport Authority has no recourse and provides no oversight over these contractors even though it’s within their mandate to ensure safe roads.
“We also had the Transport Authority out on Sunday to ensure they attend to this road safety hazard. They have committed to ensuring this is done timeously and have started some work.”
Syed called on eThekwini city manager Musa Mbhele to move the issue of road reinstatement to the relevant department that would have the capacity to ensure road repairs were carried out timeously.
Lindiwe Khuzwayo, eThekwini Municipality’s head of communications, said: “The City is aware of excavations on Peter Mokaba and other roads in the municipality.
“The excavations were a result of digging during repairs to stop water leaks. Over the weekend municipal teams began to backfill all open excavations to prevent road accidents.
“The city manager has reiterated that corrective action must be taken in instances where there has been dereliction of duty with regards to excavations that have been left in an unsafe state.”