The deep hole on the D2296 has been filled and repaired, and motorists have been assured it is once again safe to drive on the road and that all proper procedures were followed.

The spokesperson for the Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport, Bongani Dhlamini, said it fixed the cavity on July 3 after its investigation discovered that a damaged underground sewer pipe was the primary cause of the road damage.
“Both the pipe and the road damage have been fixed, and we can safely say we repaired it in the correct manner. People can now travel on the road safely, but they must always adhere to the rules of the road.”

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He also thanked a member of the public, Oskido Malate, who took it upon himself to alert others about the hole before it caused serious accidents. “If wasn’t for Malate who saw the cavity and posted on it social media, we would not have known about it. As a department we are happy that the problem was quickly resolved before it caused unnecessary accidents,” he said.

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Malate had been jogging on the main road from Karino towards Mbombela on June 17 when he saw a small opening on the road surface and stopped to investigate. He used a stick to determine the depth; it was more than a metre deep.

He used his phone to take photos and a video. Malate, as a concerned citizen, said the only thing he could do was to share it on social media and put a tree branch in the hole to alert motorists of the danger.