The City of Ekurhuleni spokesperson Zweli Dlamini said the exposed manhole in Glen Austin was repaired on September 4.
However, when the paper went to check on September 9 and 10, indeed the leaking manhole was repaired but the deep excavation was still exposed and not backfilled. The excavations are about 2 feet deep on a busy Dale Road in Glen Austin.
Read more: Finally, Dale Road trench in Glen Austin fixed and backfilled
In a written reply by Dlamini, he said the city was aware of the open excavations, which were covered with a safety net.
When asked what exactly the team was fixing, and why they left the manhole exposed, with water running down the road, he said, “the team opened to investigate the water leak from the bulk pipeline and source the materials required for the repairs. The repairs were completed on September 4.”
Also read: Ward 92 councillor plans to report Dale Road trench in Glen Austin to transport MEC
Dlamini was then contacted again on September 9 regarding the deep excavations found there.
However, he had not responded at the time of going to print with clarity as to why the manhole is still uncovered.
Midrand Reporter reported on the manhole, which is not far from the Dale Road Trench, which took over six months for the city to fix, in the article, Another Dale Road trench disaster developing, [Week ending September 5]. In that article Johannesburg Water (JW) referred the paper to the city, saying they were not responsible.
JW spokesperson Nombuso Shabalala said the leak comes from an Ekurhuleni Municipality chamber. “JW has communicated with Ekurhuleni Metro about the leak. Therefore, Ekurhuleni Metro is better placed to respond to your questions about the repairs and timeframes.”
While the Ekurhuleni Metro has taken responsibility for the leak, and repaired it, we now wait for them to repair the excavations.
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Related article: Trench on road leaves resident frustrated
