Durban – The IFP in the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature has called on Transport MEC Peggy Nkonyeni to act swiftly in ensuring that a bridge is built in Ndwedwe in order to avoid more tragedies in the area.
This is after a woman drowned while attempting to cross a river in the Ogunjini area in Ndwedwe, reportedly on her way to a funeral.
In the video, the woman is seen trying to cross over a low lying bridge as rapidly flowing water flows over the bridge. The woman slips and attempts to crawl across the bridge.
But her attempts to hold onto the bridge fails, and she is swept down the river as the crowd on either side are heard screaming.
IFP Member of the Provincial Legislature(MPL) Blessed Gwala described the incident captured on a cellular phone as a heart-wrenching incident which could have been avoided.
“The IFP attributes the latest drownings, in part, to the ANC government’s failure to provide much needed infrastructure to rural communities, more specifically, the Department of Transport, under honourable Peggy Nkonyeni. The Ndwedwe drowning could have been avoided if the long-abandoned bridge project, worth more than R38 million, had been completed,” said Gwala.
The MPL, who is also a member of the transport portfolio committee, charged that the ANC’s corruption and the embezzlement of funds earmarked for improving the lives of the people of KZN had plunged the province into unnecessary misery.
“Should the bridge have been constructed, lives would be saved, as most locals cross this river daily to access healthcare services at Osindisweni Hospital. We, therefore, call upon honourable Nkonyeni to take responsibility for the numerous incomplete projects across the province.
“We call upon MEC Nkonyeni to institute an urgent investigation into the whereabouts of the funds earmarked for the construction of the Ndwedwe bridge project, and that this bridge be completed without further delay,” Gwala said.
Heavy rains have wreaked havoc in different parts of KZN, with drownings reported in different parts of the province. Last week the Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs department issued a public alert warning of heavy rains that could cause problems.
Provincial spokesperson for the Department of Transport, Kwanele Ncalane, appealed for people to be more alert and refrain from crossing rivers when it had been raining. He added that the department was conducting an assessment on the state of bridges in KZN.
THE MERCURY