Lack of lighting on Higginson Highway prompts legal action from Chatsworth community

DUE to the “lack of action” to restore stolen and damaged lighting along Higginson Highway, the Chatsworth and District Civic Federation will bring court action to compel the eThekwini Municipality to provide adequate lighting.

Rocky Naidoo, chairperson of the federation, said there was a drastic increase in accidents along the highway.

“Higginson Highway has become a road to hell. The highway has been in darkness from the Mobeni Heights Cemetery to Mariannhill for the last 10 years, and despite our calls for the restoration of the lights, nothing has been done.

“It is an absolute nightmare to drive along the highway with accidents every day, robberies and hijackings. Over the last 10 months, there were hundreds of lives lost and hundreds of people injured,” Naidoo added.

He said last Saturday alone, there were three accidents and all three were fatalities. 

“One of the drivers collided into a tree and his vehicle exploded. He died inside his vehicle and he is still unidentified. Driving on Higginson Highway is a death trap. We struggle to keep track of the accidents. Higginson was one of the best lit highways, but it is no longer a safe road. In fact, people are risking their lives driving on this road. 

“Police are having to work in darkness and endanger their lives. Paramedics are robbed and shot at when responding. Criminals hide in the bushes along the highway because there are no lights.

“At certain areas, rocks are placed on the highway and because motorists cannot see it, they hit it. When they stop or crash their vehicles, they are robbed,” he said.

Pillay urged the municipality to take action and make funds available to restore lighting along the highway.

“The municipality fixes the road on a piecemeal basis and then work stops. Work was done in 2021 and it then stopped for four years even though we called for the lights as a matter of urgency.

“Various meetings were held with the electricity department. However, nothing has changed. There is no care for the loss of lives, and the risks associated with people using the busy highway.

“We urge the mayor and municipal manager to act immediately and not just do publicity stunts. Our repeated calls for urgent repairs to the street lights have just fallen on deaf ears, while accidents and death occur everyday on the highway.

“This municipality is playing with the lives of its ratepayers. As the civic body, we will bring court action to compel the eThekwini Municipality to provide adequate lighting,” Naidoo said.

Yugen Pillay, chairperson of the Chatsworth Community Policing Forum, said they would also join the civic federation to hold the municipality accountable for its lack of action.

“It is my opinion that the municipality is directly responsible for the deaths resulting from certain accidents, as the lack of lighting makes it difficult and near impossible to see rocks and other debris on the road. 

“When people approach these obstructions, they try to avoid it, and they end up on the verge. This verge used to be flat, and one could somewhat bring a vehicle under control. But criminals created an undulating surface, making it near impossible to bring a vehicle to a safe stop.

“When first responders arrive on site, they cannot be seen clearly due to the lack of the lights. There are risks of other vehicles knocking into them and instead of concentrating on attending to the victim, they are forced to also watch their backs. There have also been incidents where paramedics were robbed,” he  added.

Pillay said the city needed to find alternative ways to safeguard the lighting from vandalism and theft.

“The municipality needs to attend to its maintenance issues. Telling the community they cannot put the lights back due to theft is a feeble excuse. The cable can be encased in concrete in the ground and even the pole itself can be filled with concrete. We are tired of excuses while lives are lost,” Pillay added.

Claude Subramodey, spokesperson for Amawele Emergency Services, said they respond to over 100 accidents each month along the highway.

“The highway is notorious for accidents. Most of the accidents we respond to include serious injuries, or deaths. 

“While drinking and driving is a large contributor to the number of accidents, accidents mostly occur because of poor and no lighting. There are safety risks associated with paramedics responding to accidents.

“We have had cases where our paramedics were robbed of their personal belongings, cellphones and ambulance equipment while they were treating patients. Paramedics are scared of responding, but they have to do it,” he said.

Boulders being placed on the highway, Subramodey said, was another contributing factor to accidents and robberies.

“Criminals put boulders on the road. One of our ambulances had capsized while responding to an accident. It was too late for them to break to avoid the boulder and they capsized. 

“We are trying to save lives, but are putting our own lives at risk every day. We hope that the lights will be restored and we will be safe again,” Subramodey added.

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