DURING a safety inspection of two collapsed drains in Kabega Road, a ward councillor fell into one of the holes and injured his knee, unknowingly demonstrating exactly how dangerous these holes are.
“This is exactly what I am talking about,” Ward 8 Councillor, Gustav Rautenbach, said as he revealed the red scrapes and bruises on his right knee. These holes are a safety hazard.
“I was just standing on the road next to the hole when the ground underneath caved in and I fell. It could have been a whole lot worse.”
The two stormwater drains are approximately two metres deep and situated on the busy stretch of road in the vicinity of Carstens Road, close to the Kabega Low Water Bridge. Inside the holes are broken stormwater pipes and pieces of tar as parts of the road around them started to cave in.
According to Rautenbach, he reported the collapsed drains to the municipality for the first time on September 15 this year, but that nothing has been done to repair the pipes or fill the holes.
“I was told that a private contractor would come but all the private contractor did was place nets around the holes and the nets are in a terrible condition. The drains are also not being cleaned,” Rautenbach said.
“For years now, I have asked that the road all the way from Kragga Kamma Road to Frikkie Kotzé Drive be upgraded, including the low water bridges and infrastructure, but to no avail,” he added.
“You can see for yourself that this is a very busy road. The municipality is exposing itself to civil claims because there are no signs to warn motorists that there are dangerous holes ahead. This is extremely dangerous for motorists, pedestrians and animals,” Rautenbach emphasised.
He has also taken it upon himself to place cones in the road around the holes to warn road users of the danger ahead.
Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality spokesperson, Mamela Ndamase, said that there were some delays to the road repair project and that work on the collapsed drains would have continued at the beginning of this week. “These delays have been resolved and work will continue on Monday (November 2),” she said on Thursday.
