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Mandela Metro motorists urged to report stray animals

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Animals that are left to graze on the curbs of busy roads in the Port Elizabeth area pose an extreme danger to motorists.   At least five or six fatal accidents occur in the city per month which can be linked to animals being on the roads.

This week I stood witness as a vehicle narrowly missed a cow while I was photographing cattle grazing on the Rocklands Road.

Cattle on Rocklands Road
Rocklands Road Hazards (Editor – The cow crossing the road is hereby nominated as Traffic Hooligan of the Day!)

I have today submitted questions for written reply to the MEC for Transport, Thandiswa Marawu, to find out what measures her department has in place to control this problem.

While I appreciate the work being done by officials of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropole to control the animals during the day, a major problem occurs after hours, when there is not enough manpower to impound stock such as cattle, donkeys and goats.

I urge members of the public to make use of the 24-hour emergency number, 079 490 0540 to report stray animals on roads in the Metro.

There are thoroughfares such as Rocklands Road that are notoriously dangerous.  We must do everything in our power to avoid loss of life.  Short term solutions must be found to curtail the use of road verges for grazing until the government can come up with a sustainable fencing programme in the area.

Pine Pienaar, MPL

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Port Elizabethan

This author is a 'catch-all' for occasional articles and letters written to MyPE. The Author of each article can be found in the signature at the bottom of each individual article.