Bucanana community demands roads repair
The residents are angry about the bad state of their roads which were damaged by heavy storms last year
EVERYTHING came to a standstill in Bucanana’s Ward 33 under the City of uMhlathuze today (Monday), as taxi drivers and community members blockaded the P700, preventing other motorists and public transport from driving through.
The residents are angry about the bad state of their roads which were damaged by heavy storms last year.
One of the residents, Nokwanda Mthimkhulu, claims they have reported the matter to their Ward councillor, Zibuse Xulu, but nothing has been done.
‘Taxis and buses drop us far from home because drivers find the roads virtually impassable and dangerous’ she said.
She explained that even though the protest was not aimed at stopping children from going to school, allowing school buses and other school transport to pass through would be counterproductive to the protest action.
‘Last year Councillor Xulu arrived with two uMhlathzue Municiplity officials to inspect the roads, during which they discovered some bridges were completely damaged and needed urgent repairs. Nothing has been done since,’ Mthimkhulu said.
Taxi driver Mandla Nxumalo said the authorities failed in their responsibilities of fixing the roads.
‘We have complained about this for a long time now, and opted to stage a protest to draw attention to our plight. We won’t stop this protest until our grievances are attended to,’ he said.
Xulu said he reported the matter and municipal officials were sent to undertake an inspection, but no follow-up action has been forthcoming.
Municipal Communications Manager, Mdu Ncalane, said the Department of Transport has been informed about the protest.
‘The municipality is not mandated to repair bridges and roads, that is the scope of the Department of Transport. Our responsibilities are to repair access roads and pedestrian bridges,’ he said.
An attempt to obtain comment from Department of Transport spokesperson, Kwanele Ncalane, was unsuccessful
King Cetshwayo police cluster spokesperson, Captain Mbongeni Mdlalose, said police were monitoring the situation.
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