A Lonehill business owner was left too stunned to speak after a motorist crashed into a traffic light pole at the intersection of Witkoppen and Main roads shortly after the community had celebrated its restoration.

Dean (who prefers only his first name), owner of Soil to Soul Nursery in Lonehill, recently stepped in to help protect infrastructure linked to the traffic lights, after years of vandalism had left the intersection dysfunctional.

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The traffic lights had not been operational for nearly three years, due to repeated vandalism of the control boxes that power and manage the system. Dean adopted the infrastructure boxes belonging to Eskom and Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) and incorporated them into his property to help safeguard them from further damage.

The move was welcomed by residents and motorists who rely on the busy intersection. His initiative was featured in the Fourways Review last Wednesday, where he received praise from the community for stepping in to protect the infrastructure. The situation, however, took an ironic turn just two days later. On the evening of March 6, a vehicle crashed into the traffic light at the intersection.

“I have no words,” said Dean, “besides that, it’s absolute Murphy’s law. It happened just a day after reading the article, and it is so unbelievable. The robot is on the island, so it means you have to get your car over the island to hit it, and he did that.

“One of my security guards saw it. It was around midnight when it happened. It is so unbelievable because, just last night, again I heard a car screeching.”

The incident left him frustrated, particularly given the timing. He added that residents began questioning why the lights were not working again. “I had people coming to me saying: ‘Dean, I thought these robots were fixed, they’re not working again so fast’. I was like, you guys cannot believe it, they were hit by a car.”

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Despite the setback, Dean said repairs were carried out quickly, and the traffic lights were fixed again on March 7.

Dean urged motorists to be more responsible on the roads. “Stop drinking and driving. It places people’s lives, livelihoods, and infrastructure at risk. We can do more if we abide by the law.”

Ward 93 councillor Vino Reddy said: “It happened just when I thought my traffic nightmare was finally resolved, but I did escalate the matter to the roads agency as soon as the residents informed me about it. Please drive safely on the roads to protect our public infrastructure.”

Xolani Fihla, from the metro police, acknowledged our query for more information. The roads agency’s media team was also reached out for comment. An update will be provided when they reply.

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