Threat made to shut down KaBokweni
Community members and motorists are threatening to shut down this township until all roads and bridges have been fixed.
Yet another bridge in this area has developed a sinkhole and is on the brink of collapse, too.
“Just few weeks ago, we were forced to shut down this area and infl uenced some of our neighbouring communities to also do the same. We wanted water and after that staged protest, government started taking us seriously and there was action.“
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“We find ourselves in the same situation again where we have no choice but to make this township ungovernable. “As you can see, the roads leading to our homes, including the bridges on the main road, are on the verge of collapse and our patience is running thin,” said Vusi Gama, one of the community leaders trying to mobilise the community to embark on a full-blown service delivery protest.
“We are forced to go back to the streets again. It has been over two months since the heavy rain caused damage to our roads and nothing is being done by government to address it,” he continued.
Most roads and bridges in some parts of the Lowveld, including areas such as Tekwane South, KaNyamazane, Pienaar and KaBokweni, were destroyed by the recent heavy rain of Cyclone Eloise.
In January, just before the Tekwane South Bridge on the D2296 linking this community and KaNyamazane had collapsed, community members took to the streets calling on government to fi x the sinkhole that had developed there, but to no avail. And few days later, the bridge collapsed and left communities stranded and cut off.
The City of Mbombela Local Municipality’s spokesperson, Joseph Ngala, said they are aware of the damaged roads and bridges and promised constant talks with the provincial Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport.
“Work is being done behind the scenes to address the current state of our roads. We are aware of the frustrations this has caused, but we would like to appeal to our communities to remain patient as government is working on plans to fix the damaged infrastructure,” said Ngala.
