City working on plan to prevent rock throwing

The bridge over the N2 near the Tongaat toll plaza from which a rock killed two children in December

The bridge over the N2 near the Tongaat toll plaza from which a rock killed two children in December

Published Jan 23, 2018

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Durban - eThekwini Mayor Zandile Gumede said city officials have met with provincial government and other law enforcement agencies to curb the acts of rock throwing from bridges across the city.A seven-year-old boy and his 16-year-old sister were killed after a rock was thrown from an overhead bridge on the N2 between Tongaat and Ballito in late December. The children were with a family holidaying in KZN from Gauteng. Several other cases of rock throwing on the N2 and N3 have since been reported, resulting in some serious injuries.

Speaking at the first Executive Committee meeting this year on Tuesday, Gumede said she was optimistic that by working together, government would find a short term and long term solution.

“We have had a number of incidents of stones and rocks being thrown off our bridges. We have noted that in other cities they have placed nets and billboards on their bridges in order to prevent such incidents as well as suicide attempts. I am confident that in our collective wisdom we will be able to find a solution,” she said.

Deputy Mayor Fawzia Peer, who chairs the Security and Emergency Services Committee, has been tasked with providing a detailed report on this issue. "It is important that we do something about it. She has been working tirelessly to address this issue,” said Gumede.

Peer told the Independent on Saturday that the team tasked with finding solutions to the problem, have been working on plans that will soon be implemented.

"We take our communities very seriously as far as safety is concerned," she said.

Some of the plans include intensifying the monitoring and patrol of hot spot bridges within eThekwini, including the bridge near Tongaat, where a rock was thrown killing two siblings.

"We have dedicated vehicles working four shifts day and night. We are also looking at installing better lighting and road signs to make drivers aware of the possibility of rock throwing," she said.

The Independent on Saturday

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