The City of Cape Town is dealing with a recurring trench on Baden Powell Drive. Last week, protesters reportedly dug a trench across the R310, Baden Powell Drive, rendering it impassable, resulting in road closures.
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Rob Quintas, Mayco member for urban mobility, stated that the City’s Road Infrastructure Management (RIM) Department plans to repair the trench.
The Western Cape provincial government manages the road, and the City’s RIM Department serves as its agent.
‘Repair work will commence as soon as clarity is provided on the perpetrators’ demands and the City can ensure the trench is not reopened, as was the case on Thursday and Wednesday when it was resurfaced and dug up again.’
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Quintas stated that teams needed to first determine whether it was safe for City employees and vehicles to return to the site. This comes after a City vehicle was stoned on Thursday as it left the location following the trench’s reinstatement.
The dug-up area was repaired last Thursday, but another deeper and larger excavation was dug shortly after the City’s repairs.
‘Proper trench reinstatement needs to be implemented from the excavation level to the asphalt road surface including all road layers.
‘The burnt surfaces on the road also need to be assessed and repaired.
‘The road will only be repaired once calmness has been restored and the community agree to not further damaging the road.
‘We call on the residents to stop the vandalism and to allow us to do the repair work,’ Quintas said.
JP Smith, a Mayco member for safety and security, said chaos broke out in the early hours due to violent protests over a new housing development and now suspected extortion attempts.
The Metro Police Tactical Response Unit was dispatched while the Police’s Public Order Unit was awaiting deployment.
When the members arrived, they discovered a 1.5m-deep trench that had already caused an accident after a motorist drove into it.
‘Such a trench can only have been created so quickly, where power tools and heavy construction machinery was used.
‘Metro Police continued protecting staff from our Roads and Stormwater Department, while they filled the trench and restored the road during the day.’
Members patrolling the rest of Baden Powell Drive discovered a vehicle stopped on the side with an apparent hijacking in progress. The assailant took flight and fled over the rough terrain. Officers discovered a firearm after the assailant dropped his possessions during the getaway.
‘As crime surges across our country, in Cape Town we have repeatedly invested in our enforcement and emergency services over the years and have bolstered our resources. It’s a decision we do not regret and will continue to do more for our citizens as the failures of our national government fails all South Africans.’
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Picture: Supplied