The Eastern Cape Department of Transport has taken a tough but necessary decision, to close the Langeni Pass on the R412 road, which branches off the R61 connecting Ugie and Mthatha. The closure is due to serious safety concerns.
The decision to close this 17km pass has been taken after several messages were received from locals warning of the imminent danger. Their concerns were further endorsed by the department’s road engineers.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the damage is partly due to the steep and mountainous topography where this road is constructed, over the Ncembu escarpment. As well as the heavy-duty trucks, often fully loaded with logs and farm produce.
The series of possibly Climate Change induced severe floods that, over the years appear to have been eating away on the very ground the pillars of the pass are anchored in, have seemingly fast tracked the damage on the road. This has resulted in the formation of transverse and longitudinal cracks and…
