For months, residents had to deal with a burst pipe underneath their residential complex, Airdlin Place. Shayne Griffin, a resident in the complex, first noticed and reported the leak as the road started cracking. Now it’s only a matter of the surface being repaired and reinstated.
“We are glad that Joburg Water repaired the leak and filled the hole on April 13, but it is not finalised as the road surface still needs to be reinstated,” said Griffin.
“There was a lot of mud left all over the road from the digging, but our gardener helped sweep the road and cleared the mud with a spade over the weekend. The road has been cordoned off to indicate that there is a hole and vehicles cannot drive past that way,” she added.
According to Linda Gildenhuys, chairman of the Sunninghill Community Ratepayers Association, “Residents are frustrated with the situation that we all find ourselves in, continuous problems mostly caused by ageing infrastructure. But I/we would like to appreciate those who work and have to deal with all this anger because they are not the decision-makers, nor do they approve budgets, they are the people who have jobs just like anyone else. They have to deal with a huge workload, the lack of parts, the lack of manpower, and the anger from residents.
“Sunninghill Community Ratepayers Association shares the frustration of our residents and yes sometimes they turn on us, as they perceive we should, when all else fails, be able to solve these problems. I would, in addition, like to thank the regional director, our ward councillor Vino Reddy who also does his best and tries very hard to be part of the solution.”
The issue came at a time when Joburg Water has multiple burst pipe complaints, mostly caused by the old infrastructure which affected the water supply in the area and the city. On April 13, a team from Joburg Water dug up the road and attended to the issue.
Regarding the first report of the leak, external communication officer Nolwazi Dhlamini said, “According to Johannesburg Water’s SAP system, there was an asbestos cement pipe repair done on January 21, 2023. According to the SAP system, nothing was found on March 14, 2023 and reported completed. However, the team was dispatched again to verify this after receipt of this mail.”
Joburg Water has urged residents to be water-wise, report leaks, and say no to infrastructure vandalism.
Details: Joburg Water 24-hour hotline 086 056 2874; 011 688 1699.
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