Five-year battle over open drain covers
Councillor Erwin Palmer looked into the matter and found that the abnormal size of the manholes was causing some difficulty for the municipality, as the covers have to be custom made.
TWO open storm water manholes are causing a serious problem in Brandon Road, Empangeni.
Last Wednesday a pensioner who delivers goods with his bakkie as an extra income, found himself stranded after the rear wheel of his bakkie slewed into one of the holes.
According to businessman Mark Barker, the missing manhole covers have been an issue of discontent for almost five years.
‘I have heard every excuse in the book,’ said Barker. ‘Time and again I have been told that they (municipality) don’t have stock, the stock is in Richards Bay or they replaced the covers and they were stolen the same night.’
Barker said he has been fighting a losing battle of complaints and reference numbers.
‘We recently held a reopening ceremony for our business. We called the municipality on at least three occasions, begging for them to try and sort out the problem.’
Worried that clients and friends visiting the reopening would damage their vehicles, a whirlwind of submissions to the municipality followed.
The manholes are still posing a dangerous hazard.
Barker said more than one delivery vehicle had ‘fallen prey’ to the holes, damaging expensive tyres.
‘The municipality did send some workers who fixed the road, filling up the potholes,’ said Barker.
‘I had to explain to them that this wasn’t the problem.’
Concerned residents in the area have taken to placing sticks and danger tape around the holes in an attempt to warn drivers.
‘It doesn’t help. People walk past the very next day and take the sticks out. So I have stopped trying,’ a despondent Barker said.
He assisted the pensioner to extricate his vehicle by using a forklift after a lengthy wait for the municipality proved fruitless.
An odd size
Ward 9 Councillor Erwin Palmer looked into the matter and found that the abnormal size of the manholes was causing some difficulty for the municipality, as the covers have to be custom made.
‘I visited the area and spoke with a lady from the business,’ said Palmer.
‘We found that the municipality had replaced some manhole covers further up the road, which are the normal round ones.’
He said the municipality was definitely working on a solution, and in the meantime have placed plastic covers over the holes to prevent a similar incident.
@kcowan23
