Motorists can expect long-awaited relief as repairs to two key intersections in Salt Rock and Umhlali are finally approved to proceed this week, weather permitting.

The traffic signals at the N2 northbound on- and off-ramps at the Salt Rock Road intersection and at the R102/Salt Rock Road junction near Umhlali Preparatory School, have been out of order for over six months.

Delays stemmed from ongoing disputes between the KwaDukuza municipality (KDM), the KZN Transport department (DoT) and the South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) over which body is responsible for funding the repairs.

Although the DoT owns the traffic lights at both locations, they remained unattended for nearly seven months due to an impasse regarding the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the DoT and KDM.

“Contractors have been appointed to fix the broken lights,” said Ward 22 councillor Privi Makhan told the Courier on Monday.

At last week’s Ward 22 public meeting in Salt Rock, residents demanded answers. Sisa Mthiyane, KDM’s north electrical site manager, addressed the issue, explaining the complications linked to the MOU.

There are currently 27 sets of traffic signals in Ballito, Salt Rock, Umhlali and Sheffield. Of these, 15 are owned by the DoT, eight by KDM, and four by Sanral.

“KDM used to fix traffic lights owned by Sanral and DoT and they would reimburse the municipality but recently they have not been paying,” said Mthiyane.

While Makhan welcomed the move to start repairs, she encouraged residents to remain vocal on service delivery issues.

“Pressure is important, because if the community remains silent about burning issues, the council will never take us seriously.”

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