Open manholes dangerous and a ‘litigation waiting to happen’

“Manhole covers have been stolen and manholes left open all across White River. Some of them have been open for as long as nine months,” said local DA councillor, Rowan Torr.

He said he was constantly reporting the missing manhole covers, but that nothing had really been done.

“The manholes and storm-water drains are shared by the Roads and Storm Water Department, as are water and sanitation, but nobody communicates with anybody else about what the issues in town are and what needs fixing.”

Torr added that the open manholes and storm-water drains were “a litigation waiting to happen”.

“Someone has already fallen into one of the manholes. There is a massive manhole in one of the parks, but the long grass obscures it. If someone falls down there, they would be severely injured.”

He said the open drains and manholes were also being used as rubbish bins.

“I have seen some lids for the manholes at the municipal depot, but they are just sitting there. I am not sure why they are not being used to repair the manholes.”

Piet Skead, a member of the White River Ratepayers Association, said the issue was a safety risk for the residents and “an open invitation for people to dump their rubbish”.

“Council allows this to happen. Nothing is done. Besides the issues posing a safety risk and potentially damaging water valves, it makes the town look very dirty.”

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Another White River resident who asked not to be named, said she had fallen into an open manhole in April or thereabouts and still had the scars to prove it.

“I always saw that manhole while out on my runs and I would think to myself, someone is going to fall in and hurt themselves, and then it happened to me.”

The woman said she had been walking along the pavement carrying a heavy object to deliver to a neighbour when she suddenly fell in.

“I cut my shin open right down to the bone and sliced open a muscle in my thigh. There was blood everywhere and the pain was unbelievable. I couldn’t walk.”

The woman said she had battled with the injury for the next few weeks, and although she is able to move around and be active again, she could feel ridges in the muscle from where it had been sliced and felt that it had been permanently damaged.

In late December, Silulumanzi’s communications manager, Richmond Jele, said in Lowvelder’s sister publication, Mpumalanga News, that many of Silulumanzi’s manhole covers had been reported missing during the last 11 months.

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In the report Jele said they had been replaced with modified versions that are less attractive to thieves, and that it was important to note that not all manholes are Silulumanzi’s responsibility.

“There are other manholes used by telecommunications companies and fibre-optic networks. These are the responsibility of the relevant service providers, such as Telkom, the City of Mbombela’s Roads Department, Transnet and Internet service providers.

“We will do our best to replace missing manhole covers where it is our responsibility, and will contact relevant service providers where missing manhole covers falls outside our jurisdiction.”

Media queries sent to the City of Mbombela and Silulumanzi this week were unanswered at the time of going to print.

Anyone who sees open manholes is urged to report them to 086-174-5858 or email enquiries@silulumanzi.com. Alternatively it can be reported to the City of Mbombela municipal call centre on 086-162-6623.

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