Violent opportunists charge ‘toll fees’ for north coast community to cross river

A group of violent opportunists charged a KwaZulu-Natal north coast community — still reeling from the destructive April floods — R5 per person to use their makeshift bridge to cross a river that separates residents from their workplaces, schools, shops and clinics.

The group demanded cash from residents from Driefontein Township, Esenembe and Glendale.

Last week a security guard was assaulted after he refused to pay, according to the local ward councillor and the guard’s employer.

Local farmers, private security companies, the councillor and police intervened and the bridge was dismantled.  

Rain Farm Private Game Lodge general manager Chris McDaniel told the Sunday Times that the original bridge  on the P103-3 collapsed during the floods.

“Farm workers in the region had no access to their work places and had to detour approximately 30km. In May, once the water levels in the river had subsided to a safe and acceptable level, Rain Farm Game Lodge provided staff with a walkway bridge across the river, which was used by all farm workers and schoolchildren in the area. 

“Approximately one month later illegal squatters in the property on the opposite side on the river bank took it upon themselves to construct a secondary bridge with gate access. To make use of this walkway, they demanded a ‘toll’ of R5 for each crossing,” he said.

The lodge’s temporary bridge was then vandalised to leave the toll bridge as the only safe crossing point over the river, with a sign telling residents to pay the R5 fee to “support local”. 

A translation of the sign in Zulu says: “We are asking you. Let’s not fight please. You know us but we don’t know you, that’s it.” 

Ward councillor Nkululeko Sithole confirmed last week’s clash. “I got to know about the matter when I went to the area for something else but I ended up there, intervening.” He was present when private security dismantled the bridge.

With the primary bridge destroyed, schoolchildren and workers are risking their lives to cross the river. The community’s representative, Aaron Mbonombi, said residents had to carry a spare set of clothes to change into after crossing the river.

“Some kids had to leave school for this year because of the bridge,” he said.

R5 - the fee to cost the makeshift bridge

450 - more than 450 people died in the April floods

—  NUMBERS

Mbonombi said last week’s fight was “scary” and the sign was a threat. He said residents could ill afford to spend R10 a day to cross the river. 

“The farmers had to intervene and police, including the security companies, had to stop the people who were charging the community to cross.”

McDaniel said the bridge collapse had an enormous social and economic impact on the area. 

“Farmers in the area have to detour a great distance to get their produce to the mill. Schoolchildren have had to either relocate or cross over a dangerous river unsupervised to get to school. Some of these children are as young as three. They are not in a financial position to pay the toll.

“Rain Farm has suffered a massive financial loss owing to the fact that guests have to detour some distance through many rural areas to gain access. This led to job losses and the contemplation of complete closure. This will result in approximately 50 families losing their main source of income.

“The lack of urgency and any move by the department of transport and the municipality to construct and put up safety boards up has directly resulted in these criminal elements taking control. The brazenness and attitude is extremely disturbing as it shows that people know that they are able to get away with this, it shows the trend in crime in the country at the moment.”

McDaniel said there was no engagement from the authorities on when or how the bridge would be fixed or a temporary solution found.

“We are over three months since the floods and the lack of communication from the relevant government bodies is deafening. The direct result of this will be further job losses and therefore an increase in farm crime. There has been a significant increase in theft in the area, which is due to criminal elements knowing they are able to get away as local private security and police are unable to make a swift response to various areas.” 

KwaDukuza municipal spokesperson Sipho Mkhize said the municipality would build a temporary structure to replace the one that was removed as a result of the “feuds” it was causing.

“The road belongs to the province, department of transport, and not the municipality. The municipality has been engaging provincial departments to expedite disaster responses in our area and departments have said that they are doing all in their might to get things moving, particularly after the R1bn initially promised by national government never came to be,” he added.

Police and the provincial transport department did not respond to queries.