Cape Town - The EFF’s Western Cape provincial chairperson, Melikhaya Xego, has called for a full investigation into the near-collapse of the Zwelethemba bridge in the Breede Valley municipality.
This comes after raging floods on Thursday last week damaged the bridge, which links the Zwelethemba township to the Cape Winelands town of Worcester.
Xego claimed that for five years the EFF has been lobbying the municipality to properly maintain the bridge, but to no avail.
Xego said: “On May 26, 2016, the EFF led a community march to town and submitted a memorandum to the then deputy mayor John Levendal, since deceased, urging the municipality to properly maintain this bridge as it had shown signs of dilapidation, but the municipality did nothing.
“The EFF also submitted to the authorities that there be another entrance road constructed for safety-evacuation and enhancement of traffic flow, and this proposed entrance road would link up with Mtwazi Avenue; this too was ignored. It is deeply troubling that all of these demands fell on deaf ears.”
The ANC has also laid the blame for the bridge’s near-collapse at the municipality’s feet and said the municipality must find the funds to repair the bridge, as well as build another access road.
Ward councillor Mimi Williams said residents have been begging Breede Valley municipality for years to build another access road.
“They ignored us. Now this has happened. We were isolated for a day because of the intransigence of Breede Valley. If only they had listened to us.
“Now the municipality must find the funds to repair this bridge, as well as build another access road,” Williams said.
Municipality spokesperson Hannelie Botha said that an emergency council meeting had been called to discuss the issue.
“The only agenda item is to declare the bridge a disaster area.
“The municipality is currently in discussions with Transnet to assist and give authorisation to build a temporary road from Zwelethemba to the Robertson road over train tracks in Njila Street, close to the Ethiopian Episcopal Church,” Botha said.
Local Government and Environmental Affairs MEC Anton Bredell said: “The Zwelethemba bridge has not collapsed, but has been damaged by the raging flood waters.
“Engineers are working on addressing the problem as fast as possible. An alternate, temporary roadway has already been set up towards the Robertson road to provide people from Zwelethemba with access to the town.”