WATCH: Shocking moment light pole collapses on busy Umhlanga road
Durban infrastructure
The dashcam footage of a light pole falling down in Umhlanga Ridge.
Image: Sceenshot/ Facebook
A SHOCKING dashcam video has captured the moment a light pole collapsed in front of a car travelling on Umhlanga Drive, raising serious concerns about infrastructure maintenance in Durban.
Local councillors and residents warn this isn't an isolated incident and are calling for urgent inspections of street poles throughout the area.
The video, which was taken on a dashcam with a timestamp of 12:50, showed the light pole falling, narrowly missing a motorbike and falling in front of a moving car.
The car drove over the light pole, before coming to a stop
It was shared on social media by Bradly Singh, Ward 35 councillor, who highlighted the concern for infrastructure in Durban.
Singh said after the video was sent to him, he had reported it to the eThekwini Municipality.
“The instability of this light pole highlights a clear lack of city inspection. This represents an extreme danger that could result in serious public injuries.
“The electricity department is required to immediately begin routine and thorough checks of all street poles to ensure public safety,” said Singh.
The video was sent by Clint Jones to Singh after he received it from a friend.
Jones is a resident of Glennashley who regularly commutes on Umhlanga roads and said that this is not the first time he had seen a light pole fall.
“The reason these light poles fall is due to lack of maintenance of our infrastructure. The one that fell at Umhlanga Ridge was due to ants eating the wooden pole. The only time we get help is when we call to complain, they do not check on the infrastructure regularly.
“However, there is more than one light pole which has fallen. Just last week a wooden one also fell on Armstrong Avenue and another at Danville Avenue. There were steel light poles. Presently, there is another light pole on Armstrong Avenue which is also about to fall.
“The video is shocking, it was very dangerous. A few seconds earlier and the driver could have died if the light pole fell on his car,” said Jones.