DESPITE the rapid widening of a massive sinkhole on the busy John Ross Parkway in Richards Bay, the KZN Department of Transport (DoT) has not yet started any reparation work on the crater.
The edge of the carriageway collapsed in February between Woodchip Glade and Foskor.
Since then, the uMhlathuze Municipality has placed plastic and concrete barriers to direct traffic away from the affected area.
Any further action is beyond the control of the uMhlathuze Municipality, said City councillor Christo Botha.
‘The Department of Transport is responsible for the maintenance of the John Ross Parkway.
‘The uMhlathuze Municipality has no jurisdiction over the John Ross.
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‘It has come to my attention that the municipality and other stakeholders, such as the SA Roads Federation under chairmanship of City Engineer Jogie Naidoo, have approached the DoT to urgently address the problem.
‘But like most government departments, nothing has been done and it seems as if the DoT does not care about the safety of the public. ‘
Botha added the sinkhole is a looming crisis if left unaddressed.
‘Onsite inspection of the collapsed section clearly shows the severity of the problem as it is evident that further erosion has taken place to the extent the entire left lane can cave in at any point in time, especially with frequent rain.
‘Owing to the lack of action by the DoT, I escalated the matter to the DA MPL spokesperson of Transport, Rafeek Shah, to arrange for an oversight visit.
‘The MPL will take the matter up with the DoT and hopefully with enough pressure, the department will be forced into doing their job.’
The KZN DoT did not respond at the time of going to print.
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