Action for Accountability (A4A) protest action at Mondeor

Mondeor Civic Action (A4A) and concerned residents braved the cold and embarked on a demonstration, demanding accountability.

A water infrastructure excavation project of the Rand Water Board in Ward 54 that had to be completed by November 2022 remains incomplete in July 2023.

The Mondeor community organiser, Dawood Raphalalane, said, “The exposed pipes and excavated land litter the beautiful community of Mondeor. There are still no answers why they delayed the project. As Rand Water did not provide the information concerning this project, residents submitted a PAIA (access to information application) on April 24. To date, they informed us they still processed the PAIA application.”

Though it is incomplete, there has been some progress as planned maintenance of pipes has occurred, resulting in long periods of water cuts for the surrounding areas.

“Over the Mother’s Day weekend in May, there was a planned Rand Water shutdown from 18:00 on May 11 to 09:00 on May 13. Presently the maintenance and repairs of the pipelines by Johannesburg Water are still occurring, but there have been issues with the water pipes in Ward 54, especially around Columbine Avenue.

“Pipes burst many times and often are not immediately attended to. When eventually fixed, some pipes get clamped and exposed in huge holes on the street. The incomplete repairs have led to areas around the leaks cordoned off and the water flowing into the streets, posing a risk to the community,” explained Raphalalane.

The protest of the Mondeor Civic Action team was to demand accountability for the delayed completion of this project and for exposing the environmental damage to large areas where this work was undertaken.

The Comaro Chronicle queried with Rand Water Board and is awaiting comment.