VIDEO – Improvised toll gate operators collect their last pay day as Chrissiesmeer-Carolina road reopens
After the P177 closure, a Chrissiesmeer family built a private detour, charging motorists and sparking mixed reactions.
CHRISSIESMEER – What started as a road closure turned into an unexpected lifeline for one local family.
When the P177 between Chrissiesmeer and Carolina shut down, farmer Johannes Nkabinde and his relatives decided to act.
On their farm, they cleared a rough detour that soon became a busy alternative route.
For a small fee, R20 per car and R50 per truck, drivers could avoid the long and potholed Breyten road.
The first stretch of their detour was dug by hand before the family could afford to hire a grader.
@highvelder CHRISSIESMEER 🚧 A closed road led one family to create their own toll gate on private land, charging R20 per car & R50 per truck. Some called it illegal, others praised their hustle. They even donated school socks from the profits. Now, with the Chrissiesmeer and Carolina road officially reopened, their last payday has passed. #Chrissiesmeer #SouthAfrica #tollgate
A team of 14, including six schoolchildren, rotated shifts at the boom gate. Some days they took home only a few hundred rand, on others nearly R2 000.
Social media reaction was divided. Some motorists posted angry TikTok videos, calling the toll “exploitation” and “illegal.”
Yet others defended the Nkabindes, pointing out that the official closure of the Chrissiesmeer–Carolina road was well signposted, and drivers had the option of using the official Breyten detour.
Critics asked why motorists knowingly ignored the sign that was put up 5km before Nkabinde’s detour and then complained about paying to cross their private property.
“We are sad to see it end, because this was a good source of income for us. Now, we will all have to look for work elsewhere,” said Fana Nkabinde on the final day of operation.
During its operation, many motorists passed through without complaint, and the family even donated part of their earnings to buy 68 pairs of school socks for learners at Ezenzeleni Primary School in Carolina.
The road between Carolina and Chrissiesmeer was officially reopened on Monday.
While some residents welcomed the end of the informal toll gate, others expressed respect for the initiative, noting how an unemployed family managed to turn adversity into opportunity, one that not only sustained them but also allowed them to give back to the community.
Read the complete article in Highvelder.
RELATED ARTICLES:
- Structural failure forces closure of Carolina-Chrissiesmeer road
- Safety concerns keep Carolina-Chrissiesmeer route closed
- VIDEO – Residents left speechless over ‘boom’-gate between Carolina and Chrissiesmeer
- Farmer’s detour turns crisis into cash between Chrissiesmeer and Carolina
- Chrissiesmeer–Carolina road to reopen after bridge reconstruction
- WATCH – Chrissiesmeer–Carolina road open after reconstruction
