Thamsanqa Mbovane-GroundUp
Residents of KwaNobuhle township in Kariega may have to wait up to two years before the Matanzima bridge, linking them to the town’s centre, is repaired. This has upset many residents, who voiced their frustrations at a community meeting with the newly elected Nelson Mandela Bay Mayor Babalwa Lobishe.
Two bridges across the Swartkops River, Matanzima and Niven’s were damaged in heavy rainfall and floods in June and again in October.
Only the Mel Brookes Avenue bridge is still standing, and residents fear that it, too, may collapse.
With only one access road operational, traffic congestion has become unbearable.
This week, Lobishe revealed that Niven’s Bridge in Kariega, which collapsed in October, will be fixed first, because the Matanzima Bridge in KwaNobuhle, which collapsed four months earlier, had severe structural damage.
Residents were not happy to hear this. Themba Xatula, from Ward 46, said that it was not the first time a natural disaster hit Kariega. He accused the municipality engineers of failing to maintain the bridges.
“I am not stupid, because we have been talking about these things for years. They [engineers] must bring an alternative plan to circumvent the problem and open roads because using one street to and from town is causing congestion,” he said.
Luyolo Nqakula, who runs Uitenhage Funerals, said he conducted three burials last week in which families told him their relatives' deaths could have been avoided had there been no congestion on damaged roads in KwaNobuhle.
“The families told me ambulances arrived late due to traffic congestion,” he said.
“The municipality must also prioritise graveyards which are flooded every time there’s storms in the city. Families can’t afford to fix tombstones.”
Lobishe told residents that repairing Niven’s Bridge would cost about R6 million. Work should start next week.
Repairs to the Matanzima Bridge are estimated to be R50 million and to take 18 to 24 months to complete.
“Let us all be patient because fixing Niven’s bridge will reduce traffic congestion in KwaNobuhle. It is good that we tell you the truth,” Lobishe said to the murmuring crowd.
This story first appeared in @GroundUp and is republished with permission
