This after a burst pipe that was fixed by Joburg Water. “Joburg water came to fix the pipe but left this dug-up pavement mess which is causing a lot of traffic. It is now only one lane that can be used instead of two. Also, Joburg Water only came after a week to fix the burst pipe,” said Stephen Nyathi, a gardener at one of the houses on Tyrwhitt Avenue.
However, according to David Sibiya, Joburg Water’s acting marketing and communications manager, a major burst was reported at the corner of Ravenswood and Tyrwhitt on 26 April and it was fixed the next day on 27 April.
Jacob Mkandawire, another concerned resident and caretaker on Ravenwood Avenue, explained that he had seen Joburg Water representatives visiting the site over the last few weeks. “They come check and just leave, nothing is really getting done – this needs to be fixed now.” He added that a pothole that has formed right next to the barriers blocking the dug-up pavement is going to cause an accident. “People come speeding down the road and only then do they realise that they can only drive on one side. By that time there are cars queuing up from the other side making it very dangerous,” he said.
Sibiya explained that whenever a burst pipe is on a road, the team only backfills with soil and compacts it because there is a standing arrangement with Joburg Roads Agency (JRA) that they will carry out tar re-instatements.
“It seems the artisan responsible for repairing the burst pipe did not book a service request with JRA. We have now booked a service request for JRA to re-instate the tar. Johannesburg Water wishes to apologise for the inconvenience caused,” said Sibiya.
Details: Joburg Water 011 688 1400.
