Engineers will continue to monitor the condition of the bridge on the R304 outside Kayamandi on a daily basis until a contractor has been appointed to start with construction work, according to Stuart Grobbelaar, communications manager for Stellenbosch Municipality.
This comes after a section of the bridge collapsed during heavy rainfall on the afternoon of 8 April.
According to official communication sent on Stellenbosch Municipality’s WhatsApp channel on 9 April, the structural integrity of the bridge was severely compromised as a result of illegal sand mining.
The R304/Bird Street intersection was closed after the incident on 8 April.
“The illegal removal of sand, together with the heavy downpours in a short space of time, led to the damage and closure of the bridge until further notice,” said Grobbelaar.
The R304 outside Kayamandi was closed in both directions on 8 April, after a section of a bridge collapsed. SMF News visited the bridge where municipal workers carried out emergency repairs on the road. PHOTO: Jared Moorgas
Illegal sand mining started ‘about two years ago’
Unlawful excavation of sand started about two years ago, claimed Nelson Mayezana, a taxi owner in Kayamandi.
“People started to dig sand under the bridge […], I think, two years back,” said Mayezana.
He said that the damage and closure of the bridge caused disruption to taxi services.
“Some of us, if we see someone [digging] there, we try to stop them,” said Mayezana. “We knew that one day it would cause a problem.”
Mayezana said that sometimes at night, illegal sand miners, whom he claimed squatted under the bridge, would fill wheelie bins with sand.
Severe erosion along the shoulder of the affected bridge outside Kayamandi, following illegal sand mining activities and recent heavy rainfall, according to communication sent on Stellenbosch Municipality’s WhatsApp channel. PHOTO: Hannah Abrahams
“It’s homeless people who take the bricks and the sand. They sell it in Kayamandi,” claimed Nomalungisa Bhayibhile, a ward 13 committee member in Kayamandi, in conversation with SMF News. “We have tried to address this issue in council meetings. They only stop for about a week, but then they continue to do it again.”
The unlawful digging of sand along the shoulder of a bridge outside Kayamandi has caused major damage to the structural integrity of the bridge, according to communication sent on Stellenbosch Municipality’s WhatsApp channel. PHOTO: Hannah Abrahams
Municipality response
Following the embankment washaway, the bridge was closed in both directions and traffic was diverted to other roads, allowing disaster management and stormwater teams to respond.
This is according to municipality communication via their WhatsApp channel.
According to Grobbelaar, both lanes were opened on the evening of 8 April after the embankment was temporarily repaired.
However, at around 14:00 on 9 April, the road was closed again, following more damage discovered on the bridge, said Grobbelaar.
He said that when the bridge was closed for the second time, a hole was made to see the damage underneath.
Executive Mayor Jeremy Fasser was present to assess the damage to a bridge outside Kayamandi on 9 April. Stuart Grobbelaar, communications manager for Stellenbosch Municipality, said that when the bridge was closed for the second time, a hole was made to see the damage underneath. PHOTO: Facebook/Stellenbosch Municipality
Both lanes were reopened at 3:00 on Thursday morning, according to Grobbelaar.
“Engineers will keep monitoring it daily until [a] contractor is appointed for construction work,” he said.
The bridge on the R304 was opened in the early hours of 10 April, said Stuart Grobbelaar, communications manager for Stellenbosch Municipality. This photograph of repairs was taken on 10 April. PHOTO: Hannah Abrahams