Clairwood residents call for ban on trucks
Recently, the Easter celebrations at the Horeb Temple Full Gospel Church of God were marred after a truck knocked into the fence causing major damages.
The Clairwood community, together with religious, social and political organisations, have called for the immediate ban on trucks operating in the Clairwood residential area.
This comes after a number of residents, including young children, were victims of truck accidents.
Recently, the Easter celebrations at the Horeb Temple Full Gospel Church of God were marred after a truck knocked into the fence causing major damages.
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The incident, which took place just before the Easter weekend, left a devastating image for the congregants to see when they gathered to worship during Easter.
The church, which is located in Clairwood, is 80-year-old and stands as a historic monument. It is one of the very first churches which was built by the late pastor JF Rowlands, as part of the Bethesda land of churches.
According to witnesses, the truck knocked into the church’s boundary walls at the corner of Shabally Road and Sirdar Road, which resulted in the corner pillars of the walls and fence being broken. It is believed that the driver of the truck stays in the informal settlement near the church and the owner of the truck is not known.
In a statement released by the church, they claimed that it was not the first time an incident of this nature had occurred and the costs were paid for by the church.
“The roads in Clairwood were not designed for trucks and are narrow. Many house walls, fences, property pavements, roads and other infrastructure have been badly damaged by trucks. These are not small trucks, these are horse and double trailer trucks. There have also been accident involving cars, injuries and fatalities to many people. Further to this, trucks just drive through stop streets in Clairwood without stopping. Drivers of these trucks are disregarding the rules of the road. Disappointingly, Metro Police does not patrol or take action regarding these issues,” read the statement.
“How long do we have to stand by and watch these incidents happen? How long will it take the eThekwini Municipality to do something good for the residents of Clairwood? Why do innocent non-profit organisations have to be responsible for the costs of damages to property but yet the truck owners are sitting in their mansions elsewhere living a life of luxury and are not held accountable for their actions. What measures are going to be put in place to prevent further incidents like this occurring?” they questioned.
Council members of the church said that something has to be done to alleviate the problem of trucks in Clairwood and for the community to be restored back to its former glory.
DA PR councillor for ward 32, Sharmaine Sewshanker, explained that the trucks operating in the Clairwood community have been a huge problem for a number of years now.
“There is no law and order and the truck drivers do not obey traffic signs or follow the road rules. The truck owners hire foreign nationals and when they are involved in accidents, they just disappear without a trace,” said a frustrated Sewshanker.
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She further stated that the DA had sent a petition to parliament to remove trucks from residential areas but due to the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was taking long for them to get a response.
Sewshanker also claimed that the government did not want to take responsibility and was not coming up with long term solutions that will solve the trucking issues in the Clairwood community.
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