A residential complex in Constantia Kloof is expected to have to face the music after it hired workers to cut down an ‘unwanted’ City-owned tree outside their premises. The tree-flling exercise resulted in a disaster on Wednesday, 4 September.
The entire initiative took a wrong turn after the workers hired by The Summit Body Corporate accidentally hacked open a water pipe, resulting in hundreds of litres of clean water going to waste.
The Northsider witnessed drinking water gushing uncontrollably from the source on Fairview Drive, flooding into Wilhelmina Avenue and Christiaan De Wet Road, for almost an hour.
Read the initial article here:
https://roodepoortnorthsider.co.za/304070/watch-hundreds-of-litres-go-to-waste-as-complex-in-constantia-kloof-hacks-pipe/
An axe was discovered in the pool of water by Johannesburg Water (JW) personnel who had to shutdown the water supply. The axe was seized by the workers as evidence.
The area remained without water for a while as the City Parks Department had to first remove the remains of the tree before they could repair the pipe and reconnect the water.
A member of the complex’s body corporate who was on scene declined to comment at the time.
JW spokesperson, Eleanor Mavimbela, said an investigation will be launched to determine whether the body corporate was at fault. “The depot manager reported that they will first investigate the damage and its extent, and if it is found that the body corporate is at fault, a fine will then be imposed on them for the damage done,” she explained.
A displeased Ward 89 councillor, Amelia Bester, who has previously warned against the illegal felling of Council-owned trees, saying that these actions would result in a fine being imposed on the perpetrator, said, “We’ve been driving legislative reform to allow for greater fines in instances where City infrastructure is damaged”.
