#Opinion: Left in the dark? Ballito residents weigh in on broken traffic and street lights

Frustration is mounting among residents of Salt Rock, Ballito and surrounding areas as ongoing traffic congestion and streetlight outages show no sign of resolution.

Here’s what they had to say:

Margie van Zyl – I waited so long at the McDonald’s traffic lights last week, I could enjoy three of the four movements of Beethoven’s 5th symphony. My day was chaos after that. I would prefer to avoid Joburg travel time and have a friendly points person directing traffic.

Charlotte Moore – It is absolutely ridiculous! The lights on the Salt Rock bridge and by Umhlali primary school cause havoc. A 2km drive takes easy about 45 min at drop off and pick up times. Umhlali Primary has over a 1 000 students. At 6.30am in the morning there is already a backlog of traffic. The poor school has on numerous occasions tried to rectify the issue.

Jonathan Morse – When is the council going to repair the knocked down traffic lights and non working sets? The traffic light at the Lifestyle intersection has been lying on its side since December 15, 2024. The traffic lights at the Salt Rock turnoff have been flashing red for three weeks!

Amelia Buchler Kotze – Where are the traffic officers? All you see is breakdown trucks waiting for the inevitable crash!

Tara Parker – In all honesty, I would understand if it lasted for a day or two, things happen and grace needs to be given however, this has been an ongoing issue for more than a month with no repair teams or traffic officers on site (specifically at Salt Rock bridge). The strain it has put on the morning and evening commute to school/work and back home again is insane. You are guaranteed to add at least an hour to your daily commute and some employers are not as forgiving as others. Not to mention the danger it causes, with people not knowing how a four-way stop works and the mile long line onto the highway. One of these days a serious accident is going to be caused, let’s hope the right people are held accountable for it when it happens.

Liam Hamilton Potts – The traffic department and municipality really need to get qualified interaction with the private sector to sort this out, if services are unavailable through their local resources. It is an absolute joke, work together!

Meanwhile, streetlight outages further underscore the region’s infrastructure struggles.

Mandy Murphy – Streetlights 6 and 7 on Lagoon Drive, Salt Rock, have now become a symbol of long-term neglect. They’ve been reported as out-of-order for nearly a decade, repeatedly and through every available channel and public official. In fact, streetlight 6 has been lying flat on the ground for months (also reported), creating both a safety hazard and a public eyesore. Across the full stretch of Lagoon Drive (over a kilometre), only two streetlights are currently functional. This leaves the road in near-total darkness at night, an open invitation for crime and a clear dereliction of duty from KDM.

Walter Hill – Street lights on Dolphin Crescent from Waterberry to Simbithi Drive. The contractor repairs it and it works for one night and then its off weeks / months. This has been going on for years! The same applies to our Ballito boardwalk lights.

Sandy Mey – George Hulett Place in Salt Rock. The streetlights haven’t worked for 10 years!

Judy van der Westhuizen – Salt Rock… not working since we moved in 15 years ago. Dunkirk Road and Cresent.

Michelle Kemp – The P474 don’t have any streetlights at all.

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