Mayhem and confusion reigned after a bridge linking Nzhelele and Thohoyandou caved in, leaving scores of early morning commuters stranded.

The incident, which left the community shell-shocked, happened at the Khalavha-Fondwe Bridge outside Thohoyandou on Monday evening. It is also alleged that two cars escaped by inches as they were nearly swallowed up, but fortunately no one was injured.

This forced commuters to either travel a short distance over a small strip of what is left of the bridge, or to drive some extra kilometres via Tshivhilidulu to get to the other side.

Buses had to wait on both sides of the bridge as they could not use the temporary road used by small vehicles as the road was slippery. Commuters could be seen carrying their heavy luggage across the river to catch connecting transport on the other side of the bridge. Locals claim to have heard a loud thud, followed by the sound of falling objects at about eight in the evening

Namadzavho Mudau said he was relaxing at home when he heard the loud noise, but did not suspect anything. “I was watching TV and relaxing when I heard this loud bang, but I just thought it was one of the many accidents that happen on this busy road. I was very surprised to learn that the bridge had caved in and people were lining the road, trying any other form of transport to take them to work,” he said

He said he rushed there, only to find that just a small strip remained of what used to be a busy bridge. “I was even afraid to go near, as there were many cracks all over the bridge that could lead to another cave-in,” he said.

Fhatuwani Luvhengo of Dzanani in Nzhelele uses the road every day to work. He said he was surprised to be diverted by a traffic official before reaching the bridge. “Out of curiosity, we had to stop and see what was happening and what I saw was shocking,” he said. Luvhengo said he could see that the pipes that kept the bridge intact were damaged and it seemed the whole bridge would collapse in no time.

When Mirror arrived, scores of Christmas shoppers could be seen struggling with heavy bags of Christmas groceries. “We never thought something like this could happen here and we have not planned to carry our goods on foot here,” said one affected shopper. Another local said the bridge was just a time bomb, waiting to explode. She said the road had cracks which clearly showed that it had gone beyond its age.

She said road workers were a constant sight, patching the cracks but they kept resurfacing.

“They must remove this old structure once and for all. This is a very busy road that needs a proper structure and they must treat it as a matter of urgency,” she said.

Mr Wisan Ngobeni, spokesperson in the Department of Roads and Transport, said it was found that two pipes holding the bridge were damaged. He said they opened an alternative road which would also be re-gravelled for the smooth passage of traffic. He said his MEC has been in contact with Road Agency officials and soon consultants would be busy with a proper design for the re-construction of the bridge.