Trucks cause increasing damage to Malalane
Truck drivers' destructive behaviour in Malalane has steadily grown worse over the past few months and residents are fed up with lack of visible action on the part of the municipality and law enforcement.
MALALANE – The increasingly destructive behaviour of truck drivers have prompted several residents and businesses in Extension 13 and even Hectorspruit to institute their own measures to keep trucks off their properties or stop damage to municipal infrastructure.
Due to the lack of truck stops in Nkomazi, many drivers stop on pavements, open spaces or parking lots in Malalane and Hectorspruit overnight.
The issue of a truck stop has been discussed for several years but has failed to materialise, reportedly due to a struggle to find suitable premises and investors to set up the truck stop. The truck stop needs to be close to town and have affordable accommodation and shops.
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Many trucks parked near the Engen filling station in Hectorspruit, but the area was recently fenced off, prompting trucks and loitering vehicles to park on pavements on the main road leading into town.
To stop trucks from parking by the side of the N4 in Malalane and just outside town, wooden barrier poles were installed over the past year. This has resulted in trucks increasingly moving into the residential and quieter business areas on the edges of town.
Residents of Malalane have also complained that refrigeration trucks have recently started parking in Extension 13 and the noise keeps the whole neighbourhood awake.
People living in Lourenco Street also had the same problem, with refrigeration trucks parking near flats and houses and the noise making it impossible to sleep and affecting the health of several residents.
Last Monday around 17:00, a truck also damaged one of the street lights on the N4 near the Buffalo Street intersection.
The truck somehow ended up hitting a streetlight in the middle of the road and then blocked traffic heading towards Hectorspruit, when it tried to manoeuvre off the island and into the correct lane.
After assistance from a passerby, the truck drove into the lanes for oncoming traffic and then just drove off.
Luckily the incident was spotted by Niël Swart of MBM Security, who chased down the truck and reported the incident to the police. A case was opened.
Several residents have also witnessed trucks barreling down the N4 and skipping red traffic lights. They told Corridor Gazette that there is rarely any law enforcement visible on the N4 through Nkomazi in town at nights and over weekends. This needs to be rectified as many traffic infringements such as overloading and reckless driving are spotted during this time.
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Upon enquiry, Cyril Ripinga, the spokesman of the Nkomazi Local Municipality stated that they had received numerous complaints about trucks in Malalane at night and driving where they are not supposed to, such as residential areas.
Ripinga agreed that this could possibly be because there is not a truck stop close by.
“We are engaging with the provincial traffic department and SAPS in Malalane to assist the municipality in this regard to increase law enforcement personnel to avoid these trucks. We have noted with dismay the damage caused by these trucks on our road infrastructure in town,” he said.
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Residents are urged to continue reporting these problems to the municipality, traffic officers and police until the situation is resolved.
