Davidsonville Dam falling into ruin

Residents of Davidsonville raised their concerns about when the repairs of the dam wall, which broke in November 2022 during a storm will commence.

Murklin Jacobs, a resident, stated Davidsonville Dam used to be an area where people came to fish and spend time together, however now it is falling in ruins. It is even being used as a dumping site.

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“The dam meant a lot to the people around here. We used to fish here, there were all types of birds, insects, frogs, fishes,” elaborated Jacobs.

He also mentioned a person’s phone was stolen while walking across the field. He stated they are afraid someone might get kidnapped, as it has become such an isolated area.

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Another resident, Sean Daniels, added the dam was once a place for functions and where families came together, but now there is no life anymore since the dam is about empty.

Jacobs concluded there is still water and if the dam wall is repaired it wouldn’t be long before the dam is full again.

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Ward 71 councillor, René Benjamin, commented, “The damage caused by the storm was investigated by the Disaster Management Team, engineering was also brought on board with regards to assessments. The City declared a disaster and submitted to Provincial Disaster Management a list of what needed to be addressed under the disaster declared. The National Disaster Management Centre has allocated funds for the City of Johannesburg to the impacted departments. They are awaiting the release of the funds so that the affected roads as well as the dam in Davidsonville can be attended to.”