Grocott's Mail
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Thursday, July 17
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Grocott's Mail
    • NEWS
      • Courts & Crime
      • Features
      • Politics
      • People
      • Health & Well-being
    • SPORT
      • News
      • Results
      • Sports Diary
      • Club Contacts
      • Columns
      • Sport Galleries
      • Sport Videos
    • OPINION
      • Election Connection
      • Makana Voices
      • Deur ‘n Gekleurde Bril
      • Newtown… Old Eyes
      • Incisive View
      • Your Say
    • CUE
      • Cue Archives
    • ARTSLIFE
      • Makana Sharp!
      • Visual Art
      • Literature
      • Food
      • Festivals
      • Community Arts
      • Going Places
    • OUR TOWN
      • What’s on
      • Spiritual
      • Emergency & Well-being
      • Covid-19
      • Safety
      • Civic
      • Municipality
      • Weather
      • Properties
        • Grahamstown Properties
      • Your Town, Our Town
    • OUTSIDE
      • Enviro News
      • Gardening
      • Farming
      • Science
      • Conservation
      • Motoring
      • Pets/Animals
    • ECONOMIX
      • Business News
      • Entrepreneurship
      • Personal Finance
    • EDUCATION
      • Education NEWS
      • Education OUR TOWN
      • Education INFO
    • EDITORIAL
    Grocott's Mail
    You are at:Home»Uncategorized»Botched U-turn slows traffic to N2
    Uncategorized

    Botched U-turn slows traffic to N2

    Grocott's MailBy Grocott's MailNovember 7, 2016No Comments3 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email

    After 17 hours on the road, driver Duppie du Plessis admitted his judgement may have been poor when he opted to make a U-turn in Grey Street late on Wednesday night. Ten hours, later, he was still waiting for the recovery vehicle to arrive.

    After 17 hours on the road, driver Duppie du Plessis admitted his judgement may have been poor when he opted to make a U-turn in Grey Street late on Wednesday night. Ten hours, later, he was still waiting for the recovery vehicle to arrive.

    An officer from the Makana Traffic Department who had been there since 11pm was still on the scene on Thursday, 3 November, morning at 7.30am, operating an effective stop-go as he alternated traffic flow through the single-lane gap left by the tanker, which was stuck at 90 degrees to the traffic stream.

    He was waiting to be relieved by provincial traffic officials. Grey Street, which becomes Beaufort Street and then Dr Jacob Zuma Drive, is a main route through Grahamstown to or from the N2.

    Du Plessis said he was travelling from Pietermaritzburg to Grahamstown, where he was delivering recycled oil for use as fuel to a local industry.

    He stopped in town for something to eat and decided to take a shortcut to his destination (rather than using the bypass). 
    “I decided to do a U-turn, and then this happened,” he said.

    He said a local vehicle recovery company had been to take photographs to assess what they would need for the operation and would be arriving soon.

    “It was tiredness,” said Du Plessis. “I’ve been driving since 5am. And that’s after weeks on the road.”

    He felt drivers were stretched past their limits.

    “You know how when your cellphone battery has gone right down and you put it on charge. Then it charges for a bit and because you’re in a hurry you think, ‘Okay that’s enough, let’s go’.

    “It’s like that when you’re a driver. You can pull off as late as 11pm − but your boss will still expect you to start again at 5am. 
    “But this is a human body − not a cellphone.”

    Du Plessis said long-distance drivers are meant to work 72 hours only, before getting a 24-hour break. After every shift, they were required to get a minimum nine-hour break.

    “But sometimes I can be five or six weeks on the road.

    “I’m a married man. I’m so scared I come home one day and my kids call me ‘Uncle’,” said a distraught and exhausted Du Plessis.

    Previous ArticleSt Joseph’s honours learners
    Next Article Gran may be charged
    Grocott's Mail

      Comments are closed.

      Code of Ethics and Conduct
      GROCOTT’S SUBSCRIPTION
      RMR
      Listen to RMR


      Humans of Makhanda

      Humans of Makhanda

      Weather    |     About     |     Advertise     |     Subscribe     |     Contact     |     Support Grocott’s Mail

      © 2025 Maintained by School of Journalism & Media Studies.

      Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.