Note to Editors: Please find attached English and Afrikaans soundbites by Cllr Estie Senekal and Sesotho soundbite by David Masoeu MPL
The Democratic Alliance (DA) condemns the continued failure of the Dihlabeng Local Municipality to keep heavy vehicles out of residential areas such as Eureka, Panorama, Jordania, La Provence, and Morelig. This ongoing inaction directly impacts residents, as road damage and safety risks increase, and taxpayers bear the financial burden of municipal mismanagement.
During a Community Services meeting in 2025, it was explicitly promised that “No Entry for Heavy Vehicles” signs would be erected the following week. Months later, there are still no signs. No implementation. No accountability. In the meantime, residential roads are literally being destroyed.
Municipal residential streets are designed for light vehicles of approximately 3.5 tons or less. Heavy vehicles of up to 56 tons are now using these roads as through-routes. According to established road engineering principles, road damage increases exponentially as axle loads increase. A single heavy vehicle can cause the same structural damage as thousands of ordinary cars. This damage is not accidental—it is the direct result of an administration unable to implement basic traffic control measures. When heavy vehicles turn, stop, and accelerate within residential areas, cracking, subsidence, and surface deterioration accelerate. Repair costs rise, municipal financial pressure increases, and residents ultimately pay the price for administrative incompetence.
There is also a serious safety dimension. Heavy vehicles in residential areas, especially at night, create a real risk to children, pedestrians, and other road users. The tragic bus incident at the Saul Plaatjie Dam, where lives were lost after a bus mistakenly entered a residential area, highlights how essential clear and adequate warning signage is. Inadequate or absent road signs cost lives.
The DA has already provided examples of appropriate traffic signage to the Director of Community Services. The excuse that “Supply Chain” still needs to procure the signs is no longer acceptable. Months of delay for simple regulatory signage is unacceptable.
The DA will formally escalate this matter to the Municipal Manager and will insist on:
- A clear implementation timeline
- The immediate erection of the promised signage
- Strengthened law enforcement against offenders
Residents of Dihlabeng deserve better than empty promises and administrative sluggishness. Residential areas are not truck routes. Unless decisive action is taken, residents will continue to face unsafe roads, damage to property, and increased municipal costs.
The DA will continue to apply pressure until accountability and enforcement are ensured.