Residents of Buccleuch have been complaining about an open manhole in Parkville Road for almost 10 years.
This is despite repeated promises from Johannesburg Water and Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) to fix the manhole.
The community has been asking Johannesburg Water to repair the water leaks and the only action taken was placing a plastic bollard over the manhole.
“It’s unsafe for vehicles to drive on Parkville Road. The main concern is that primary school kids walk on this road, and it would be disastrous if one of them had to accidentally fall in,” said Jay Soudamma, a Buccleuch community member.
According to Soudamma, this is a problem for ‘immediate residents’ who have to navigate around this manhole as it could damage their vehicles. This further obstructs traffic, as well as access to two driveways in its direct vicinity.
“As a community member and road user, this is a frustration along with all the other potholes that have not been addressed in Buccleuch”, said Soudamma.
JRA spokesperson Bertha Scheepers said it is unfortunate that manhole covers are one of the items that are high on the theft list by criminals who steal for resale.
“This has created a shortage of manhole covers as JRA is constantly needs to replace missing covers. Also, the JRA has been sourcing alternative materials, such as polymer, which has no resale value. We are pleased to report that the JRA team is currently (May 5) on-site replacing the missing manhole cover at Parkville,” said Scheepers.
On May 2, Sandton Chronicle sent Johannesburg Water spokesperson Nolwazi Dhlamini an email regarding the water leaks at Parkville Road, Buccleuch.
On May 4 Dhlamini confirmed that she had received the query. No comment was given by the time of going to press on May 8.
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