GEORGE NEWS - The chairman of the George Heritage Trust, Henry Paine, and a local civil roads contractor have added their voices to concerns raised over the poor state of the Montagu Pass after flood damage in November 2021.

The pass is a protected site in terms of Section 27 of the National Heritage Resources Act. After the flood in November 2021, it became impassable and was temporarily closed. 

Recently, when machinery became available, maintenance work by the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) was started, but soon after was stopped by Heritage Western Cape (HWC). 

As the pass is a Western Cape Heritage Site, approval and a permit should have been sought from HWC before the works were started. (GRDM is handling the works as an agency of the Department of Transport and Public Works.)

Paine said he has been concerned for some time about the lack of proper maintenance on the pass, and now that maintenance has been undertaken, it has been without a permit and has been destructive.

"So bad, in fact, that it has further endangered the survival of the pass. Concrete has been poured into gutters and the earth has been graded the wrong way - towards the mountain - and has blocked the old gutters that have worked for 150 years."

GRDM senior communications officer Herman Pieters said the pass is inaccessible due to major damage to the road surface, exceeding one metre in depth in some places. "The pass was subsequently closed until in-house machines became available to temporarily reinstate access."

The municipality is currently conducting drainage work as well as normal blading maintenance at the beginning and the end of the pass. It is awaiting more clarity from HWC on what will be required in terms of a heritage application "to do some patch work".

Regarding Paine's concern over the historic subgrade that should not be damaged, Pieters said in the southern section of the pass, the historic subgrade had already been exposed as a result of the flood.

Pieters said the road surface remains very rough due to the coarse subgrade material and scour problems in some places, however it is accessible.

Before any gravel patching was undertaken, drainage issues had to be addressed and cleaning of culverts by hand and side drains by machine (TLB) was done. 

"This work was initially stopped by Western Cape Heritage, but after consultation it was agreed that the drainage repair works could carry on, while no work is to be undertaken on the walls and road surface."

Restoration of the road surface and stone wall will be done in consultation with Heritage Western Cape.

HWC site inspection

Earlier this week, HWC CEO Michael Janse van Rensburg said they conducted a site inspection in October and the findings and feedback from this will be provided to the transport department in the next few days.

"Given the historical significance of the pass, interventions and appropriate restoration efforts will be taken forward with the custodians of the site."

'Restricted access sufficient in terms of guidelines'

Responding to concerns about the inacces-sibility of the pass, a very popular tourist attraction, transport department spokesperson Jandré Bakker said the road network guidelines state that in the case of a road of this kind, where there are alternative routes, accessibility is deemed sufficient even if only by four-wheel drive vehicles with high ground clearance.

"The road is accessible to that class of vehicle. That does not mean that we are not in the process of ensuring maintenance to enhance access to a broader vehicle category."

'One of the most precious pieces'

According to Paine, preserving the Montagu Pass is extremely important. "It is one of the most precious pieces of our history, an experience, a place, an achievement and a wonder that everyone who visits George should see."

It was built under the direction of road builder and engineer Henry Fancourt White, mainly by convicts, between 1844 and 1847.

"White built many passes in South Africa and stands with Thomas Bain as a tower in his field," said Paine.

No machines or dynamite were used (dynamite had not been invented). "It was an extraordinary feat. The pass has been used ever since then on a daily basis. This is too valuable a resource for us to allow it to collapse due to our neglect."

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