A vehicle smashed through a garden wall in the early hours of October 17, and 14 hours later, a motorcyclist injured in a collision at the same intersection.

The two crashes at Cedar Road and Runnymead Road in Chartwell have renewed resident Michelle Smith’s calls for authorities to address what she believes is a dangerous stretch of road. Smith said the first incident left her frightened and struggling to get assistance while she was at the property with her daughter.

She said the crash happened at about 02:00 when a vehicle travelling along Cedar Road allegedly failed to stop at the intersection, crossed the road, crashed through their garden wall and landed in the garden. “I had my daughter with me. I was like, I don’t know what to do,” she said, recalling the frightening experience.

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Smith said she contacted emergency services and later called Douglasdale police to get assistance. She said the driver returned to the property. “He didn’t have to come back, but he did,” Smith said, explaining that the driver accepted responsibility for the damage and agreed to repair the wall. She said the damaged section had since been repaired, although other security-related repairs at the property remained outstanding.

While the first incident had already left the household shaken, another collision occurred at the same intersection at approximately 16:00. A motorcyclist was involved in a collision with a motor vehicle attempting to turn into Runnymead Road. The rider died.

Smith said the second crash happened while the damage from the first incident was being dealt with. “It feels like a movie because what is happening?”

The two incidents have reinforced her concerns about the intersection, where she said another vehicle had crashed through the same garden wall about a month earlier. Smith believes the road layout, vehicle speeds and lack of visible warnings contribute to the danger. She said motorists travelled at speeds she estimated at between 120km/h and 130km/h along Cedar Road, despite three schools being situated along the road. “It’s not safe. The Gauteng roads and transport department must do something about this.”

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She also believes motorists approaching the intersection at night may struggle to identify the road layout, particularly when turning into Runnymead Road. Smith said she had raised concerns about the intersection with authorities in 2025, asking for speed-calming measures after repeated crashes in the area. “I’m now going to campaign to make Cedar Road at Runnymead Road safe because we don’t want more people to die.”

Brigadier Veeshani Arikum, from Douglasdale Police Station, confirmed the motorbike accident on Cedar Road, saying the rider was injured, according to reports. Furthermore, he stated that there had been no report of the car going through the wall on Cedar Road.

Gauteng roads and transport department was reached out to for comment, however, no response has been received at the time of publication.

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