THE eThekwini Municipality’s decision not to install a guardrail at a busy intersection bordering a public school has ignited concern among school leadership, with warnings that the move exposes learners to serious and foreseeable danger.

The dispute centres on Selborne Road and Sphiwe Zuma Avenue, a site adjacent to Port Natal School, where school authorities requested the installation of a physical crash barrier to protect learners, staff and pedestrians. This follows a recent crash, and several before that resulted in the school fence being damaged and a vehicle landing on school property.

In an email sent to Port Natal School Governing Body chairperson Liezl Slabbert, seen by the Berea Mail, an eThekwini official said that an assessment was done by the City’s transport department and that is was concluded that the request did not meet council-approved guardrail warrants.

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In a written response to the school, municipal officials stated that the assessment considered factors such as road geometry and road type, and found that a guardrail was “not supported” under current guidelines. Instead, the City said it would replace or install appropriate warning signage and road markings.

However, Slabbert has strongly rejected the response, describing it as inadequate given the location’s risk profile. “The site is adjacent to a public school, with daily exposure of learners and pedestrians,” said Slabbert. “The City has now acknowledged the risk, assessed it, and elected not to install a physical safety barrier. This places Metro in a position of clear and foreseeable risk.”

Slabbert warned that reliance on signage alone would be insufficient should a vehicle lose control and leave the roadway, potentially striking a child inside the school grounds or a pedestrian on the sidewalk. She stressed that the presence of a school significantly heightens the City’s legal duty of care, as children are regarded in law as a particularly vulnerable group.

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“Should a vehicle enter the school grounds or strike a pedestrian, the City and responsible officials may be required to account for this decision in terms of negligence and breach of duty of care,” she said, adding that the matter would be referred to legal representatives.

In response to previous enquiries made to the City earlier this year following another accident, eThekwini spokesperson Gugu Sisilana confirmed that a crash barrier would not be installed as it does not meet the required road warrants. She said signage highlighting the road geometry would be installed within one to three months.

Sisilana added that traffic-calming measures have already been implemented on Dirk Uys Street and Selborne Road outside the school, and that the need for similar interventions on Sphiwe Zuma Avenue will be assessed.

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