PETER Mokaba Road (Ridge Road) is regularly frequented by road users in Berea, and residents and drivers are getting frustrated with how many holes there are following municipal work on the busy road. According to Morningside resident Adrian Ash, who regularly drives on Peter Mokaba Road, the municipality has been working at various points on the road for the past two and a half years, causing massive holes that are obstructions for drivers.
“For the past few years, I can’t remember a time I drove on this road and didn’t see it dug up. There is constantly an issue, and now there are three massive holes on Peter Mokaba Road that force road users to swerve onto the other side of the road to get past.”
On Sunday, April 30, two vehicles landed in the hole on Peter Mokaba Road, on the same night.
“Fortunately, no injuries were sustained,” said Garrith Jamieson, spokesperson for Advanced Life Support (ALS) Paramedics which responded to the scene.
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Ash says that due to cars getting stuck or being driven into the holes as of late, residents have now cordoned off the area around each hole to barricade road drivers from accidentally driving into the massive road holes. “At night, when there is load-shedding, it is just an accident waiting to happen. Residents have now made makeshift barricades, using tyres and branches, but there needs to be an official sign that road users can see at night or else someone is really going to get hurt,” said Ash.
According to Ash, the holes are a result of the municipality working on water pipes on Peter Mokaba Road. “This is expected when pipes are fixed, but the rubble is never cleared, and on such a busy road, the jobs need to be finished quicker than this. This issue of holes in Peter Mokaba Road has been a problem for years now.”
To have a look at how damaged the local road currently is, watch the video below:
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City Response
According to the eThekwini Municipality’s head of communications, Lindiwe Khuzwayo, the City is aware of excavations on the road and other roads in the municipality.
“The excavations were a result of digging during repairs to stop water leaks. Over the long weekend, municipal teams began to backfill all open excavations to prevent road accidents,” said Khuzwayo.
“In addition, the City manager has reiterated that the necessary corrective action must be taken in instances where there has been a dereliction [intentional abandonment] of duty with regards to excavations that have been left in an unsafe state,” concluded Khuzwayo.
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