Residents in Randpark Ridge have been fuming since the inception of the broadband fibre-optics project earlier this month.
Water shortages and constant power outages are some of the results experienced by residents since this project started in the suburb.
Employees from Grintek, a subcontractor apparently commissioned by Huawei on behalf of Telkom, allegedly hit the power cables and water pipes and also dug up pavements and driveways.
One of the residents, Gerry Comninos, said there was no safety officer on the ground. “I tried to get the contractor to sort out the problem but have only been promised it will be fixed,” he said.
Comninos explained that they sometimes spent three days without power and the contractor could not provide a wayleave.
This resident had been a property developer for more than 30 years and he insisted that he warned contractors before they started with the project to look out for electric cables and water pipes.
“The cable blew up the other day. These people must produce the wayleave, they are transgressing public laws,” he added.
According to Comninos, a woman fell into one of the holes that was dug up and left open by the sub-contractor. “Employees are not properly trained and there is no supervision. It seems that these people do not know what they are doing. Sometimes traffic lights are not even working because they are hitting electric cables,” he said.
On 24 March Huawei management finally met with the residents and promised to resolve the entire problem. They indicated that the project would be finished by the end of April.
“We did everything according to the plan. I think the problem here was a communication bungle, hence, we are here to sort out this problem,” said Jacky Zhang from Huawei.
According to Zhang, the recovery plan would be implemented to solve all the problems caused by the project.
City Power spokesperson Yumna Sheik confirmed that both Huawei and Telkom applied for wayleaves.
“City Power has approved the applications for wayleaves with conditions including that kick-off meetings are held prior to work commencing on site,” she said.
She further explained that City Power and telecommunication providers should agree to work together and implement a number of resolutions in order to minimise electricity supply disruptions to the residents and to ensure the safety of contractors trenching in the area.
Joburg Road Agency spokesperson Bertha Peters-Scheepers said an inspection was done on site. “The contractor is in possession of a valid wayleave expiring on 30 April 2016 and has been contracted to Huawei on behalf of Telkom SA,” she said.
Details: Huawei, 076 829 3125; City Power, 086 056 2874; JRA, hotline@jra.org.za.
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