For over three years, Riverclub residents in Outspan Road have lived in fear after witnessing a great number of accidents, one of which resulted in the passing of an individual.
On a low-gradient curve near Fillan Forest, lies a stretch of tar which has been given the nickname of the infamous epicentre of no control, equivalent to the Bermuda Triangle.
“I heard a few stories of the road and after experiencing a near-fatal accident, I can honestly say that I am grateful that my story wasn’t as severe as the other victims. I can’t describe the feeling, you feel a force that pulls you once you turn on that curve,” said Ryan Stephenson, who was one of the three victims on August 22.
Two weeks prior to Stephenson’s accident, a local gardener was struck by a vehicle while working. This resulted in his untimely death. “In just over a year, we have seen roughly around 30 accidents in this specific spot. We warned the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) officials that there’ll soon be a death. Sadly, that turned into a reality and it left us [residents] in a complete state of sadness and shock,” said resident, Gregory Namer.
According to the resident, the MEC of Transport, Jacob Mamabolo visited the area on August 21. Upon his arrival, he saw the aftermath of an accident which happened five minutes before stepping out of his car.
With solid proof, there was no avoiding the matter. Head officials of the JRA immediately reacted by closing some parts of the road in the early hours of August 23. This gave workers time to focus on repairing the road without any disturbance.
On the day, Ward 103 councillor Lynda Shackleford met with the MMC of Transport Funzi Ngobeni and the JRA team who shared their plans for restoring peace and safety in the area.
“Since the resurfacing of the road back in 2020, it has become a bit slippery. We are putting on a new tar that we think would be able to assist followed by some traffic measures. They will be rumble strips for both lanes before approaching the curve, repainting the road markings, uplifting the island and we are thinking of adding a stop sign to make sure that no accidents happen,” said Ngobeni said on behalf of the JRA team.
The acting head of regional operation for the Johannesburg Roads Agency, Raven Shabe, said the operation is scheduled to reach its completion by the end of the week.
Ngobeni concluded by thanking the community members for their patience and extended his condolences to the friends and family of the victim who recently lost his life.
