Pothole causes damage to vehicle

It was only because he didn’t adhere to a rule of the road, the one about keeping left, that Lucas Venter didn’t end up with serious injuries on Friday. At about 14:30, while Venter, owner of Barberton’s Neighbourhood Watch, was driving down Boom Street, he drove straight into what used to be a pothole, but due to lack of repair, had become an enormous channel forming part of the donga.

This huge opening runs straight into the road. What makes matters even worse is that there is no warning signs or danger tape to alert drivers. Everyone present at the scene agreed that the shady road with its abundance of trees makes it almost impossible to see the hole.

“I was driving at a speed of between 20 to 30 kilometres per hour, the normal speed I drive in built-up areas, doing what I am supposed to do, observe. All of a sudden the left wheels of my car gave way. If I had kept to the very left of the road, I don’t know what the consequences might have been,” said Venter.

The hole is about three metres deep.

Barberton Times phoned the director of community services from the scene to find out who would be held responsible for damage to the car. The newspaper was directed to Johan Badenhorst whom informed it that Venter should get the case number and all relevant documents and deliver it to the offices of the municipal manager where the matter of the claim would receive attention.

Barberton Times also made contact with the Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport. They arrived at the scene swiftly and secured the area after Venter’s vehicle was towed away by José’s Towing Services. According to an official from the department, the correct procedure was followed a while back.

Poles were planted around the hole and the area was demarcated with danger tape. The paper found this to be true, as the poles, with said danger tape were lying at the bottom of the ditch. According to the official, pedestrians that make use of Boom Street, were responsible for wrecking these warning signs.

The reason he gave for the hole being left to deteriorate, was that the two tippers were in need of repair and that Umjindi Municipality currently has no funds to fix them.

“This might be so,” said Venter’s wife, Welna “but it is absolutely pathetic on the part of Umjindi Municipality that our streets should look like this. Lucas could have been injured or worse if he drove where he was supposed to, on the left-hand side of the road. Why couldn’t the road have been cordoned off a long time ago? This vehicle is Lucas’ only source of income.

I’m only grateful that our children weren’t in the car with him on Friday. I would like to know where the taxpayers’ money is going. There are many municipal bakkies driving around, they could have filled the hole with sand and stones before. How many accidents need to happen before they will start doing something about these life-threatening potholes?”

This incident happened in Ward 8 and Venter approached Barberton’s DA Councillors. According to Philip Minnaar, this is a danger zone and an ideal place for criminals to hide.

“On a daily basis, many school kids use this road to and from school and chances are good that they can get badly injured or suffer at the hands of criminals,”

Minnaar said Cllr Nsimbini stated at a council meeting a few months ago that the ANC knew what it was doing and that council had a plan and the money to fix all the pothole problems in town.

“This is clearly not the case, how is it possible that he never noticed the existence of this giant hole in the road – in his ward?” He continued ,“It is also a known fact, with the upcoming elections, preference were given to so called ANC areas to ensure their votes and thereafter attention be given to other areas known as DA support areas.

Proper consultation with ward residents never happened and it is clear the ward councillor only knows Sheba Road. A ward councillor is elected to represent all the residents residing in that ward, and everybody should be treated equally with equal opportunities and rights.

The DA demands an explanation on why nothing were done to make this road safe and repaired according to the secret ANC plan to fix all potholes. It is time for the Mayor and his ANC councillors to acknowledge that they have failed the residents of Umjindi and is causing more and more damage to the existing infrastructure of the town due to their inability to govern responsibly.”