Dolphin Coast roads fall apart at the seams

The recent rains, which have been a blessing in many ways, have also left Dolphin Coast roads in a bad state.

In January, KwaDukuza mayor Ricardo Mthembu vowed that the road work problems in the district would come to an end this year.

There has been a never-ending battle between KwaDukuza municipality and the provincial transport department to fix the badly damaged, potholed roads on the North Coast which include Salt Rock Road at Tiffany’s, the R102 entrance to Umhlali, the Sheffield Beach Road and plans for a pedestrian crossing on the R74 opposite Stanger Hospital.

After two meetings were cancelled last year December, the mayor said a meeting had been held in February, but details have not been disclosed.

DA Ward 22 Salt Rock councillor Malcolm Hubner said that he had heard from a trustworthy source that the meeting did not take place.

“No one seems to know about this meeting and as an executive member of the mayoral committee, I did not know there would be a meeting nor have I heard what transpired in such a meeting.

“What I do know is that the department of transport has been avoiding meeting with the KDM council. The department officials came to the first meeting last year unprepared.

“They then sent junior officials to the second meeting, which the mayor found disrespectful. That meeting was postponed.

“A few weeks before Christmas last year, transport department workers were seen patching up the the potholes. The potholes reappeared three weeks later because the roads needed to be resurfaced and not just patched up.”

Hubner claimed the transport department was trying to find an easy way to avoid the overall responsibility of fixing the roads.

“They have been doing patch-work because when we have a meeting, they can say that they have been doing some work. This is not good enough.

“The maintenance on these roads is of such a poor standard that it does not even last three weeks and the situation returns to disgusting.

“I am inundated on a daily basis by the irate ratepayers of Ward 22 in KwaDukuza who are now resorting to calling me incompetent and useless.

“While it is not in my nature to moan and complain I am at the stage where to protect my own standing as a councillor in the area, I will be left with no alternative but to resort to petitions or protest action.

“I have tried to address this situation in a reasonable manner with the department via many emails, phone calls and failed meetings but the lack of any response is frightening.”

The potholes on the P474 that runs from Sheffield to Tiffany’s – including the massive one on the way to Sheffield Manor (ironically dubbed Lake Sheffield by locals) are old news and locals have just about given up on the road ever being repaired.

However, this state of affairs now seems to be spreading to the rest of Salt Rock and Ballito.

Part of Colwyn Drive has begun to collapse right at one of the many blind corners.

The sinkhole has become so large that it seems likely to swallow the whole road if something is not done soon as each new spate of rain further hollows out the ground beneath the road surface.

This is a situation mirrored on Compensation Beach Road a short distance south of Salt Cafe, where another sinkhole has basically eliminated one of the lanes and vehicles are forced to stop and wait for oncoming traffic to avoid a head-on collision.

KDM communications and knowledge officer Sphelelo Ngobese assured that the meeting between the mayor and the transport department did take place, but could not provide any information on what was discussed.

He was also unable to say when KDM plans to repair the roads but said that municipality “is aware of the problem”.

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