The problem of stray animals on the roads leading to Sinthumule and Kutama is surfacing once more. In the past few weeks, several incidents were reported where motorists collided with, among others, cattle on the R522 and D3715 roads.
Drivers who regularly make use of these roads complain that cattle can venture onto the road at any given time. One must constantly be wide awake and on the lookout for stray animals.
One such driver, Mr Rudzani Siliga, said the negligence of the herd boys and the cattle owners was becoming a serious problem. The problem is specifically serious in the early mornings and late afternoons, when visibility is low. He warned that more serious accidents would occur, and lives would be lost if the authorities did not start acting against the perpetrators.
Two weeks ago, a resident of Louis Trichardt was lucky to escape serious injuries in one such accident with cattle. She was on her way back to town in the late afternoon when cattle walked straight onto the road. Her vehicle was badly damaged. The owner of the cattle was nowhere to be found. The cattle were later found to have come from a piece of land near Tshiozwi village.
On Monday night (11th) a taxi collided with three cattle while driving on the D3715 road near Gogobole.
The spokesperson for the Makhado Municipality, Mr Louis Bobodi, warned that the owners of the stray cattle that wander onto the roads might soon find themselves in serious trouble. "Everybody knows that livestock are not allowed near the public roads," he said. He said that cattle found on public roads would be impounded and the owners fined.
Bobodi appealed to the law-enforcement agencies to also assist the municipality and to act against people who are caught neglecting their cattle.