The Makhado Municipality’s apparent failure to consider road safety when planning new residential development and its failure to honour agreements have created a life-threatening situation for residents and the general public using the N1 through Louis Trichardt.

A lack of responsible planning, letters unanswered, promises broken and agreements dishonoured by the Makhado Municipality led up to the present impasse on the Makhado Park/N1entrance and created the situation in which it is seemingly easy for irresponsible and criminal elements to just carry on audaciously destroying public property at Makhado Park without fear of reprisal.

Thousands of rands of malicious damage to property have been caused during the past weeks, when irresponsible and criminal elements went on the rampage after the official closure of the illicit and highly dangerous entrance into the N1 from the Makhado Park residential area in the southeastern part of Louis Trichardt, bordering the N1 toll road. There was no reaction from either the municipality or the police, who claimed that they had no knowledge of the repeated destructive action, which took place right next to the N1.

The situation was exacerbated by the additional destruction of the normal protective fencing between the N1 and the residential area. The removal of this fencing brought about the very real danger of children or pets from the residential area straying onto the busy highway, thus endangering their lives and the safety of motorists on the N1.

The illicit entrance was physically closed by a SANRAL contractor in February, following official notification given by SANRAL to the Makhado Municipality. The municipality once again failed to assist in the orderly removal of the danger (which it had already promised in 2004) or to inform the residents of the pending closure.

The action by SANRAL followed after several years of failure by the Makhado Municipality to comply with known standards of safety during the planning stage of Makhado Park, and its repeated failure for well on ten years to honour its official commitment to rectify the dangerous oversight.

Even after the municipality, under continued pressure, promised in October 2004 to conduct a traffic study and to budget for the design and construction of an acceptable entrance in the 2005/6 budget, nothing happened and the life-threatening situation for residents and the general public continued.

SANRAL’s written request in December 2004, that the Makhado Municipality should confirm that the dangerous entrance was indeed closed like the municipality promised at an earlier meeting during that December, brought no response from the municipality.

SANRAL, as part of its ongoing upgrading of the safety features on the N1 north, proceeded in February this year to remove the dangerous situation which the Makhado Municipality allowed to be created some 11 years ago and has failed to remedy since.

The uninformed residents of Makhado Park reacted with anger to the closure of the very convenient entrance from and exit into the N1, which was also a very popular (though very dangerous) bus stop serving the secondary school in Makhado Park.

Displeasure and tension over the unannounced and disruptive closure erupted into open, unbridled violence, with the repeated destruction of traffic signs and fences at the illegal entrance.

At an unannounced meeting late last month (March) between representatives of the Makhado Municipality and various political and other groupings, it was decided to invite SANRAL for a discussion of the situation. The meeting with SANRAL was scheduled for early this month (April 3).

When the municipality was asked to comment on the situation last week, the official response created the impression that the problem has already been sorted out.

When SANRAL was approached, it was obvious that they had no information about alleged renewed planning for an acceptable, safe entrance, which the municipality (again) promised would be in place by May.