Stray cattle in Hazyview a traffic concern

Several Hazyview residents are concerned about the number of stray cattle that are roaming unattended in their streets daily.

Some of these cattle have been hit by cars and are endangering motorists. No one seems to be looking after them or herding them.

The City of Mbombela’s (CoM) by-law enforcement is also not doing anything about them, the townspeople claim. One of the residents, Dwayne Steyn, who damaged his car when he hit an ox on the R536 near Vakansiedorp, said the incident occurred at about 18:30.

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He said there were cattle in the middle of the road.

“I have seen the cows on the streets for a long time without anyone looking after them. They sometimes sleep next to the road or eat our plants. I have personally reported the matter to the CoM’s regional offices in Hazyview, but nothing happened. I wonder if their by-law officers are functioning or not. Now I had to spend money to repair my car since it was damaged, and I don’t even know who the owner of the cows is.”

Meanwhile, Selby Mdluli, a taxi operator, said he damaged his minibus taxi twice in two weeks, and no one is held accountable.

“I am calling on the owners of the cows to look after them and make sure that they are not on the roads. They are already causing unnecessary accidents,” he said.

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The CoM’s spokesperson, Joseph Ngala, said the by-law enforcement is functioning and they are aware of the stray cattle, but it is always difficult to locate the owners.

“The Hazyview area is surrounded by a lot of villages. It is very difficult to locate the owners. Some of these cows do not have herders, and the area where they used to graze is now a residential area. However, we are calling on the owners to look after their animals or they will face a fine when they are found, or their animals will be impounded,” he said.