Drivers in eMalahleni are alarmed by the steady increase in car accidents on the Watermeyer Street off-ramp to the N12, travelling to Ogies/Phola. 

Car accidents happen more than three times per week, according to the drivers who travel the congested route to get to Witbank Hospital, work, and other destinations every day.

Drivers claim there is no speed hump after exiting the road to go to Ogies or Phola, which leads to car accidents. 

Jonathan Mokoena, one of the regular road users, said, “I always travel to work by going to Phola using a taxi. I saw a car accident during the rush hour, around 16:00 and 18:00.

Some drivers were speeding on the road and were very impatient with each other. With the speed humps, it can help reduce car accidents and the deaths of people. Some people’s cars get damaged because of poor driving and impatience with each other. We are hoping that our municipality can try by all means to have the speed bumps built,” he added.

Pearl Silaula said, “I stay in Klipfontein, and I transport my children to school every Monday to Friday. In the morning, the traffic on the road is very challenging because some motorists are not being patient with each other; everyone is rushing, which is why we end up having accidents on the roads during rush hours.”

Emalahleni Local Municipality spokesperson Lebohang Mofokeng said, “The municipality is responsible for fixing all roads in our jurisdiction; provincial routes are the responsibility of the province equally with the national roads.”

Moeti Mmusi, a spokesperson for the Mpumalanga Department of Community Safety, Security, and Liaison, said, “Motorists coming into the road, going into odd ramps, must thoroughly observe and only enter the road when it is safe to do so. Many vehicles have also been written off at intersections and off-ramps. Therefore, motorists also need to reduce speed and be extremely cautious when approaching such areas on the road. They must also be considerate and tolerant to other road users, including pedestrians.”

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