MBOMBELA – Mpumalanga News has received numerous complaints from motorists around Bhuga, Jerusalem, Bushbuckridge and Badplaas/Caroline road about the issue.
The MEC for agriculture, Mr Vusi Shongwe, urged subsistence and commercial farmers to look after their livestock as traffic volumes are expected to increase over the festive season.
Read: Motorists warned of stray animals on public roads
“As a department, we’d like to advise our farmers to take care of their livestock, especially cattle. Sometimes you find them roaming around on a freeway especially in those former homelands. This might contribute to an increase in car accidents as we are approaching the festive season,” said Shongwe.
He said, in most cases, they have noticed that if there is a driver who loses control of a vehicle while trying to avoid livestock, the owners do not come forward. “The owners disappear when their livestock cause accidents. We will be erecting road signage to warn motorists, but we also urge farmers to brand their livestock so that they can be easily identified,” he said.