Durban — KwaZulu-Natal Transport, Community Safety and Liaison MEC Sipho Hlomuka has welcomed the resumption of side tipper trucks on the N2 in Pongola and called on the drivers and owners of side tipper trucks to work with the government and the community of Pongola to save lives after they resumed travelling on the N2.
The side tipper trucks are back after a marathon of engagements between the national government, provincial government, Pongola Local Municipality, traditional leaders, business owners and community organisations.
The department said that the opening of the N2 to side tipper trucks marks the end of more than two months of community revolt following a fatal truck crash that claimed 20 people in September.
It said that the driver was in custody to allow for further investigation. He faces cases of culpable homicide and negligent driving.
After the incident, the community reacted by stoning and attacking the side tipper trucks, which are mostly responsible for the transportation of coal. The majority of them travel from other provinces to the port of Richards Bay.
According to a notice, as of October 20, no coal or mining side tipper trucks would be allowed on the R33, R34 and R66. It was a community decision. The notice also stated that Eskom should be fixed so that rail can be used.
The department said that there had also been an outcry from the community of Zululand after the side tipper trucks were forced to use R66/R34 between eDumbe to Empangeni, which is a provincial road not designed for such tons of loads.
Hlomuka said the government and stakeholders must move with speed in implementing all the agreed short-term measures.
“We welcome this decision by the community of Pongola. We will sharpen our daily monitoring of the movements of these trucks. The opening of the side tipper trucks is giving impetus to the efforts by the government to revive the economy. The lives of people are equally more important, hence we appeal to the truck owners and drivers to adhere to traffic regulations and ensure that there is no further loss of lives.
“As a government, we will continue working with all structures in Pongola, including the municipality and the traditional leadership, to improve safety measures in the area. This includes implementing all the short-term measures agreed to in stakeholder engagement meetings. Already the satellite Road Traffic Inspectorate office is operational and will be part of the integrated plans to maximise enforcement targeting heavy vehicles,” said Hlomuka.
He said that, weekly, the government will receive reports of enforcement and on the behaviour of truck drivers in the area. This will form the basis for engagement with the trucking industry to introduce norms in the drivers.
Equally, the government working with the SA National Roads Agency SOC Ltd (Sanral) is working on improving safety measures on the N2 in Pongola and N3 Peter Brown.
Last month, Hlomuka called for calm in Zululand and appealed to the Pongola community to open the N2 to side tipper trucks to avoid further harm to the economy.
The MEC’s call and appeal came after notices and alerts were issued about side tipper trucks being banned on the R33, R34 and R66 – a community decision.
Hlomuka appealed to the community of Zululand to work with the government and allow the movement of tipper trucks on the N2 in Pongola without any intimidation.
The MEC was alerted that the community in Pongola continued to mobilise to ban the movement of trucks, mainly the heavy-duty vehicles transporting coal, following a truck accident that claimed 20 lives in September.
Hlomuka said the ongoing blocking of trucks by community members in Pongola was now causing severe traffic congestion on the R34/R66 and increasing the risk of more accidents. In addition, the increased truck volume on the R36/R66 was damaging the road infrastructure, which is not built to endure heavy vehicles.
He said the N2 in Pongola was the main road designed to handle such heavy vehicles and was a strategic route for trucks as it connects provinces with other Southern African Development Community countries. The continuous blockading of trucks on the N2 also had the potential to lead to an economic crisis for the province and country, Hlomuka explained.
Daily News