At the launch of the Campanile on 15 August the various speakers speeches were constantly interrupted by the sound of heavy Manganese Ore laden vehicles as they ‘crashed’ over the traffic calming measures in place on Strand Street. Eventually the Executive Mayor ‘digressed’ from his prepared speech and spanked the Port of Port Elizabeth for ‘throttling development’ in the city. We assume that he knew that the Port of Port Elizabeth Port Manager, Rajesh Dana, was one of the dignitaries in attendance.
The Mayor’s comments come hot on the heels of a little Manganese Ore truck counting done by MyPE just opposite the North End jail on 13 July 2017.
And the results of the MyPE highly unscientific counting exercise from 11h41 to 12h39:
- 55 Manganese carrying ore trucks went past
- 18 of those carried two hoppers each
- 9 of those were containers
- 28 of those were single hoppers
That means one every 1.09 minutes – quite an impressive operation.
These trucks use two entrances to the Port; Green Street and Strand Street and, I am told, run 24 hours a day.
Some food for thought:
- Who pays for the clean up of our roads?
- Who pays for the accelerated maintenance to our roads?
- Are the Markman and Swartkops manganese ore depots environmentally safe?
Do yourself a dubious favour and drive along the freeway towards Markman and you will see a dark line along the roads demarcating the path these these behemoths take as they race back and forth.
How frightening to see these trucks up close as they ply their trade – come on ratepayers, why should we allow others to make money off of us. Something is not right here!
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Alan Straton
Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth.
Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die."
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