A Mitchells Plain couple says their pleas to the City of Cape Town for speed control measures outside their home have fallen on deaf ears for 21 years as vehicles keep crashing into their home.
Mario and Martha Petersen, who live on the corner of Katdoring and 6th Avenue in Eastridge, say drivers refuse to slow down when they approach the corner.
Earlier this month, their house was once again damaged when a Toyota Quantum taxi drove into their front wall, and they can hardly sleep at night for fear of another “accident”.
The couple wants the City to install a raised intersection or concrete barriers outside their home.
DANGER ZONE: Wall of Eastridge house has been hit by speedsters.
Mario, 45, told the Daily Voice: “On 1 November, we were sleeping at a relative’s place and got a call from neighbours saying we must come home urgently as a vehicle drove into our house.
“It happened around 3am and when we got here, the front of the Quantum taxi was in our house.
“The driver was there and had one passenger in the vehicle.
“He looked drunk and stank of alcohol and nothing happened.
“This is the third time in 21 years of living here that this has happened, and my neighbour’s house was damaged five times already in 20 years.
“We have been begging the City of Cape Town to do something about this unsafe road.
“We want those thick concrete barriers to be placed on the corner in front of our house, just to prevent the cars from crashing into our house.
“But nothing is done about this, are they waiting for one of us to die first?”
In August, a black Mercedes-Benz crashed into their next-door neighbour’s house.
The driver of the larney car was going so fast that it crashed through three rooms.
A gatvol Martha says: “If this happened in the more privileged areas, the problem would have been fixed long ago.”
City Spokesperson, Luthando Tyhalibongo, said: “The City’s Transport Planning and Network Management Department conducted a site inspection and has recommended additional traffic calming measures.
“We are currently finalising a plan to construct raised pedestrian crossings which we intend issuing later this week, if all goes as planned.
“Thus, we urge residents to be patient with us.”