Two residents of Makhado (Louis Trichardt) narrowly escaped death while driving along the Pontdrift road.

Mr Jan Kleynhans, owner of Mike’s Kitchen in Makhado (Louis Trichardt), and the manager of the restaurant, Ms Christina Masekwo, were driving to a meeting on Wednesday, 19 March.

Due to the lack of warning signs on the road, Kleynhans had no idea what was in store for them. Realizing too late that a big chunk of road was missing, Kleynhans was able to swerve off the road in the nick of time. Unbeknown to him, the bridge that had washed away during the flood in January 2013 has still not been repaired. When the bridge washed away, it claimed the lives of a family of three.

Fortunately for Kleynhans, his Toyota Fortuner came to a halt on a makeshift road next to the bridge.

“I think that bridge will claim many more lives if it is not fixed soon,” said Kleynhans. Since the accident, he has been trying, unsuccessfully, to report the current situation at the bridge to the authorities. “But you just don’t get anybody to speak to; it is a losing battle,” said Kleynhans.

He visited the accident scene last week in order to take photographs for his insurance company. A surprising sight met him. Newly erected barricading and warning signs have been installed, diverting motorists to the alternative dirt road next to the collapsed bridge. “But this is unacceptable; what about people who don’t use that road regularly? If the bridge is not going to be fixed any time soon, the least that can be done is to barricade it properly,” said Kleynhans.

In the meantime, the newspaper also struggled to unearth more information on the bridge. A spokesperson for the Musina Municipality, Mr Wilson Dzebu, was able to confirm that the Limpopo Department for Roads and Transport was responsible for the Pontdrift road.

By the time of going to press, the department had yet to respond to media enquiries.