{
  "id": 14362683,
  "title": "PUBLIC SAFETY: ‘Where’d the money go?’ — feisty NMB tannies slam ‘shoddy’ R2.4m Smartie Bridge upgrades",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/14/public-safety-whered-the-money-go-feisty-nmb-tannies-slam-shoddy-r2",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-14T04:14:55.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Daily Maverick",
    "slug": "daily-maverick",
    "url": "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-10-14-whered-the-money-go-feisty-nmb-tannies-slam-shoddy-r24m-smartie-bridge-upgrades/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Residents of Gqeberha, Francis Jeffrey and Eileen Leander, are demanding answers over the expenditure of R2.4 million on Wylde Bridge upgrades. They claim the work is \"shoddy\" and a \"disaster\", after height restrictors were destroyed and heavy trucks continued to cross the bridge, raising safety concerns. The Wylde Bridge, nicknamed \"Smartie Bridge\", spans the Swartkops River and was opened in 1879. Despite the municipality diverting heavy vehicles away from the bridge, residents warn that the structure is deteriorating and the lives of children who cross it daily are at risk.",
  "summary": "‘Feisty tannies’ Francis Jeffrey and Eileen Leander are demanding answers over R2.4m spent on upgrades to Gqeberha’s historic Wylde Bridge, after height restrictors were destroyed and heavy trucks continued to cross the structure, raising safety fears.",
  "key_points": [
    "R2.4 million spent on Wylde Bridge upgrades",
    "Height restrictors destroyed, heavy trucks still crossing",
    "Residents demand answers, warn of deteriorating structure"
  ],
  "editors_take": "Ineffective infrastructure spending and failed traffic restrictions transform a vital historical crossing into a significant public safety hazard for the local children who rely on it daily.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}