31 Aug 2022

An official from roads department has pleaded with farmers to desist from destroying and stealing road signs.

Speaking during a Bobirwa farmers’ workshop meant to sensistise farmers on road safety issues Tuesday, Mr Kabelo Rakwatsi said many road signs were spotted and found at some farming lands (masimo) and cattle posts where they were used for various purposes.

Mr Rakwatsi said some farmers also stole and vandalised the fence that enclosed the road reserve.

“The fence is usually used for masimo (ploughing fields) and kraals,” said Rakwatsi who explained that the fence was critical towards safeguarding the lives of motorists by barring animals from road reserves.

The official also warned farmers against grazing their livestock in  road reserves. Consequently, he said farmers should rather seek permission from the department of roads to harvest grass to feed their livestock.

Further, Mr Rakwatsi said some also stole corrugated metal culverts on gravel roads to cut and use as feeding troughs.

“Those culverts in the old or abandoned roads are still property of department of roads and will be removed by the same department when the time arrives,” said Mr Rakwatsi.

Besides stealing and destruction, the official stated that some people collected soil in the road reserve to decorate their mud huts.

He warned that it was illegal to collect soil, stones or rocks inside the reserve unless with permission from the department.

Furthermore, Mr Rakwatsi said that it was illegal to erect sign boards in the road reserve. 

He said that farmers who had placed such boards indicating the directions to their farms were given 14 days to remove them. 

Failure to do so, he said, boards would be confiscated and owners charged for the transgression.

Responding to farmers’ complaints about motorists who leave gates open when entering or leaving road reserve, Assistant Superintendent Dimunani Mbangiwa of Bobonong Police Station warned that such motorists were liable for a P2 000 fine.

As such, Ass Supt Mbangiwa advised farmers to note number plates of the vehicles and report to the police such motorists and anyone who left the gates open after use.

He also warned farmers that any animal found on fenced roads attracted P2 000 fine per animal to a farmer.

Ass Supt Mbangiwa said that farmers should confine their livestock in the kraals overnight and tend to them during the day, to avoid causing road accidents and attracting some charges, a move he said could impoverish them.

So far, the police have removed over 4 900 animals from the fenced roads in Bobirwa, according to Mr Mbangiwa. 

He said that a total of seven accidents were caused by cattle while only one was caused by a goat from January to July. BOPA