On January 30 Nelspruit Post reported on the pothole in Piet Retief Street opposite the Nashua building. What seemed like a pothole from a distance, was actually a far more serious problem that led to a two-metre deep hole in the road. This posed a grave danger to motorists and pedestrians. It was reported to Mbombela Local Municipality and immediately attended to.
On January 23, workers did excavations to determine the cause. According to Mr SB Mabuza of technical services, this crater was caused by the drainage system which had not been properly constructed.
Two concrete pipes below the surface of the road had not been properly joined.
They were supposed to absorb tons of pressure, but shoddy workmanship had weakened the structure.
The crater exposed the underlying problem, enabling workers to fit new drainage pipes to restrengthen the structure.
According to Mabuza, the project was supposed to be finished on/before Friday, depending on the availability of resources. Upon arrival on Monday, progress was clearly visible, but traffic was badly congested due to the hole being left unattended and incomplete in construction.
According to Mr Joseph Ngala, spokesman for Mbombela Municipality, the filling of the hole was delayed due to rain, but the road should reopen today.
