Endicott residents expressed their frustrations regarding dug-up trenches on the roads entering the area from the N17.

The Springs Advertiser, accompanied by concerned residents, recently visited the area where the trenches have been excavated.

Jonathan Cunha said the trenches were dug on February 25 without notifying any residents. He also said that the residents have been using the entrances for many years.

When they asked why the digging happened, they were told it was to prevent crime in the area.

“Where they dug up, there are no barrier nets to alert the drivers that they cannot enter here because we have families that visit us and have been using these routes.

“There are drivers that park on the side of the N17 for a rest at night and do not know about the trenches; this could be a huge problem,” said Cunha.

Cunha shared that when they asked the contractors who assigned them to the work, they were told that it was SANRAL.

Another resident, Bruce Adams, shared that he has lived in the area for more than 20 years and expressed disappointment that they were not informed about the matter, as it affects their daily activities.

“I have deliveries that I receive every now and then and with these trenches, it will be hard for the drivers to make it to my property.”

“We have children that play outside their yards and children being curious can go near the trenches and what if they fall in them, who will be blamed?” said Adams.

Soraya Sallie, a homeowner near the main road, said the roads in the area are already bad, as she got stuck near her home.

She also said that the trenches dug on her property could be dangerous to drivers because the contractors did not install any barrier nets.

“The first entrance to the property is quite bad due to the wet weather, so I was able to create a second entrance that is straight from the N17.

“When they started their digging, I asked them to please leave the side near my gate because I use it a lot, and they agreed. I was surprised to see that they actually dug it up, and I was left frustrated because I had told them not to,” said the homeowner.

Andre Straus from the local CPF told the publication that the trenches were dug due to crime in the area, and they turned to SANRAL for help, which led to the trenches and a barbed wire fence along the main road.

“In the last year, we had 18 home robberies with one resident who was nearly raped, which led to residents coming to the CPF and saying there must be something that can be done, and that is why the contractors were hired to dig up the trenches.

“Where the fence is now has been closed five or six times, and the last time, there was a hill of sand poured so that it would be hard for the criminals to enter the area, but that failed,” said Straus.

He explained that the municipality told residents they must use the entrance assigned to them, and that the others are illegal.

However, Cunha argues that the roads from the entrance are not up to standard and cars cannot use that route.

Comment is awaited from SANRAL and the Lesedi Local Municipality.