FED up at the increased traffic during the night on the Lower Illovo Road from sand mining trucks, a resident has started a petition to get authorities to enforce the law.
There are a number of operators mining sand on the banks of the Illovo River and it is suspected not all have permits.
“The volume of heavy duty truck traffic on the road has increased and some trucks speed which is endangering the community,” said Lower Illovo resident Bryan Baxter.
“Of particular concern are the trucks that drive on the main road from 6pm to 4am on certain days of the week. Many of these trucks are registered in Mpumalanga. We believe it is illegal to operate after 5pm. There can be 30 to 60 trucks per night which disturbs the residents at home with their excessive noise.
The narrow gauge metal bridge across the Illovo River is being destroyed by this high volume of traffic.
Equipment is often abandoned in the river with the potential of pollution.
The areas being mined are not being rehabilitated.
Miners make their own roads in ecologically sensitive areas. Where are the environmental impact assessments?
The river is being ruined with no control or oversight by authorities and there are long-term adverse effects on the flora and fauna in the area. We appeal to the authorities to enforce the law.”
According to Bryan and fellow residents, the trucks started running on a Tuesday and Thursday night three weeks ago. They said last week it was on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday night. “These specific trucks don’t run at all during the day, only at night. They can’t be identified as they have no names anywhere.
On Thursday, 14 July we spoke to a Metro Police officer who was stopping trucks and he confirmed these trucks are only allowed to run until 5pm on weekdays and those running at night are doing it illegally.”
Bryan contacted Metro Police to lay a complaint and even met an officer at the steel bridge to discuss the problem. “While we were talking to her, one of the trucks came past to collect river sand and this was proof that they are running at night. She told us she was going to go back to her depot to collect more crew and that they would monitor these trucks and possibly prosecute them.
She suggested we do a letter of complaint and get as many signatures as possible and then hand it in at Metro Police.
The only reason we are complaining about these trucks is that this is a residential area and they are disturbing the peace and tranquility at night. Because it is so quiet at night, we hear every noise they make when they speed down the road and obviously when they have been loaded and going up the hill, their revs are so much higher and the noise is unbearable.
Miners make their own roads in ecologically sensitive areas. Where are the environmental impact assessments?
We not happy with the hundreds of trucks running during the day either but we will tolerate them if they obey the law and not speed down the hill and overtake each other in oncoming traffic and over a double white line. They are putting other people’s lives at risk.
We call on the law enforcement team at Metro Police to assist us in this matter and help us to stop these trucks from running at night.”
To sign the petition, visit www.facebook.com/groups/IllovoRiver or www.ipetitions.com/petition/stop-illegal-sand-mining-in-the-illovo-river.
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