A FOX Security officer was recently injured after crashing into a massive pile of dug-up pavement that had been left in the middle of the road.
On Thursday, March 23, Mitchell Russouw, a reaction officer for Fox Security, was responding to a call regarding shots being fired. He suddenly had to swerve to avoid the mound of rubble and soil, causing his vehicle to flip on its side, skid for some distance and flip again onto its roof until finally coming to rest.
It seems the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality had dug up the pavement and dumped everything on the road, leaving exposed wires and a very big obstruction in the street.
Ward councillor Marina Van Wyk visited the offices of Fox Security to check on Russouw and get to the bottom of things.
Criminals may have escaped due to this incident, as Russouw could not make chase and stood no chance of apprehending them.
According to sources, the trench was dug around a month ago, leaving one to speculate about other possible catastrophes, such as exposed wires getting wet, children or passersby falling into the hole, and further car accidents, which could lead to damage of vehicles, injuries or even death.
“This is unacceptable. This is the type of thing that should have been done and completed within one day and the fact that they just dumped everything right in the middle of the road, instead of the sidewalk, is baffling and worrying,” said Van Wyk.
The RECORD was told that it is near impossible to claim for damage caused by the EMM in this regard, similar to when there is load-shedding or power cuts that cause millions of Rands worth of food spoilage and damage to electronics.
“What would have happened if Mr Russouw had died? The municipality would then be guilty of murder due to their neglect and utter disregard and negligence,” added Van Wyk.
The RECORD contacted the EMM for comment, but they have not responded.
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