Durban — Pongola Deputy Mayor Bheki Thwala on Thursday said he was aware of issues in the roads in the area.
He said as the local municipality they had been having roadblocks to try to combat this, especially two weeks before the horror crash that killed 21 people, including 19 pupils, last Friday.
Thwala said they had increased the number traffic officers monitoring the movement of trucks on the N2. The South African National Road Agency (Sanral) was also involved.
The municipality was, he said, concerned about the safety of the community, especially because of many heavy trucks on the road.
“Sanral and traffic officers were visible on the road to conduct roadblocks, movement of cars, searching them to ensure that drivers using the road are capable.
“We are working with Sanral to extend the road,” he said.
Thwala said he had no idea when the talks of extending the road had started as it was before his term of office.
Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula, who was at Pongola on Thursday, released a report on the accident and said, through Sanral, they had initiated interventions that would provide additional capacity on the road where the incident occurred by expanding the existing roadway, bridges and culverts.
“This will go a long way in improving safety for all road users,” he said.
He said a number of risk conditions had been identified, namely:
- pedestrian safety
- high driving speeds
- heavy truck traffic;
- limited passing opportunities resulting in driver frustration;
- unsafe access onto the N2 and;
- abnormal load vehicles.
“To ensure companies that own trucks, which move goods on our roads, adhere to strict compliance with the law, we will encourage the MEC in the province to invoke Section 50 of the National Road Traffic Act,” said Mbalula.
He said that in strengthening law enforcement activities in the province, all mobile testing centres under the KZN Department of Transport would be deployed with immediate effect on the N2 Pongola area and that the visibility of traffic law enforcement officers would be intensified.
A resident of the area, who has been vocal on social media alerting the department and its minister about the road issues, was Jabu Hansen, who said he was happy that Mbalula had finally come to the area.
“We are pleased that you came to talk to us as the community because this is about us,” he said.
“We are happy that you’ve addressed everything we have been complaining about and meaning to raise with you.”
Daily News