Durban — The DA in eThekwini have said ANC-led eThekwini Municipality’s negligence is putting people’s lives at risk.
DA eThekwini councillor Riona Gokool was reacting to recent incidents where motorists plunged into manholes over the long weekend and the young mother who was killed when she drove into a bridge washed away by the floods last year.
Gokool said that over the weekend, at least two accidents took place on Umbilo and Ridge roads.
A Mini Cooper landed in a hole near 535 Peter Mokaba (Ridge) Road. A Mercedes-Benz ended up in a hole on the same road. A VW driver escaped unharmed after driving into a hole in Umbilo Road in Durban.
“The accidents were caused by a lack of warnings and barricades on roads undergoing repairs,” Gokool said.
Noxolo Khumalo, 26, of Inanda, lost her life on April 28 after her car plunged into a deep crevice left after floodwaters washed away a road in Ntuzuma in KwaZulu-Natal in April 2022.
“This unfortunate incident was a result of the road not being barricaded, pointing to extreme negligence by the eThekwini Municipality, which, to date, has not been held accountable,” Gokool said.
She said that of late, a number of vehicles have driven into huge holes resulting from excavation work done to repair burst pipes as well as flood-damaged pipelines. The continued threat to life and to the city's economy can no longer be tolerated.
She also said the DA in eThekwini will conduct oversight visits to various areas where there has been no maintenance, no completion of repairs, or damage to roads caused by floods to identify problem areas and force the municipality to expedite repairs.
“This will tie into the monitoring of the R1.2 billion given to the municipality for flood damage,” Gokool said.
“Despite the floods taking place a year ago and reports made by councillors and residents in affected areas, the municipality has yet to compile a conclusive report of all the damage and a structured plan highlighting the estimated repair times.”
Gokool added with the 2024 elections around the corner, residents of eThekwini have the power to turn around our failing municipality.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, IOL reported eThekwini Municipality head of communications Lindiwe Khuzwayo said ageing infrastructure and flooding were to blame for the number of holes on some of Durban’s busiest roads.
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