Pic: Siyabonga Sesant
UPDATE: A week after AlgoaFM News first published a photograph of a stricken traffic light right in front of mayor Eugene Johnson's door at City Hall, we can confirm it has now been fixed.
The bench next to it, however, on Friday remained in a mangled state.
The photograph raised the ire of thousands of residents who've voiced their displeasure on social media.
AlgoaFM News published the photograph on Facebook on the 22nd of July and to date, it had amassed more than 540 comments and reached an audience of 57 000.
It reached close on 57,000 people with just under 5,000 engagements.
The said traffic light had been knocked over in an apparent motor vehicle accident at least a month prior to the photograph being taken.
Despite the robot leaning at an alarming angle – in full view of the City Fathers in City Hall – it had yet to receive the municipality's attention.
In their comments, hundreds of people pointed to the fact that were many traffic lights in a similar condition across Nelson Mandela Bay that had yet to be repaired.
Saskia Bailey simply described the situation as “disgusting”.
Another resident, Trish Mills Weller, wondered if mayor Eugene Johnson had seen the stricken traffic light.
“Surely our mayor sees this every day?,” queried Weller.
“Or doesn’t she go to the office?”
Toni Rennie commented on the picture on Facebook: “There are plenty more... the ones in Stanford Road have been broken for the whole year so far... WHERE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO MANAGE THE METRO!?!?!? [sic]”
Nadeera van Wyk said “the ones by Mercantile [Hospital in Korsten] have been off for three to four years and they haven’t been bumped. Cape Road has about three down”.
Many other comments also pointed out where traffic and street lights were stricken, faulty or not working, including Cape Road and Buffelsfontein Road.
Some residents said that the entire traffic light pole had been removed in some areas.
“No street lights, no traffic lights, potholes [and] water leaks for Africa, but we pay taxes,” Jason Zac Jacobs lamented, in part.
AlgoaFM News immediately sought comment from municipal spokesperson Mthubanzi Mniki on the matter and is still waiting for a response.
