Woman injured after falling into manhole

DA councillor Bongani Nkwanyana, who was on a membership drive, spotted a woman sitting in a busy road and wondered why.

The councillor crossed over John Page Street to find out what the matter was. As he approached her he realised she had been hurt after falling into a manhole. The woman told the councillor that she could not move and was in immense pain.

Nkwanyana immediately called emergency services. He claimed, however, that he was disrespected and messed around during the call. “The Emergency Services of the City of Johannesburg should change their wording from emergency, as they do not recognise the need for emergency responses based on the way they handled this incident,” he said.

He said the call centre agents told him there were no ambulances available and that he should hire a vehicle. “It is sad to think that this could have been a matter of life and death, and in that waiting period someone could have died,” said Nkwanyana.

After he and his colleague, Philani Bophela persisted in calling, the ambulance finally arrived after about two hours. The woman was attended to for about 30 minutes and finally taken away by ambulance.

North Eastern Tribune has contacted The City’s Emergency Services and is still awaiting comment from them.

When tackling issues in the area, Nkwanyana said he had encountered many missing manhole covers, as people have been injured and cars damaged due to the ongoing theft of the covers.

“It is unfortunate that the City ignores this issue as more incidents occur. The Johannesburg Roads Agency has put the City of Johannesburg at risk of being sued by motorists and pedestrians for injuries and damages sustained from open manholes on roads and pavements,” said Nkwanyana.

“I hope the Mayor addresses this issue in his State of the City Address, as a lot still needs to be done before he can claim that we are a world-class African city.”

Details: 082 755 5584.