Frustrated Sunninghill residents can finally expect relief as work gets underway to rebuild a damaged stormwater inlet at the intersection of Tana Road and Lingerette Avenue following a year-long road excavation.

The repair work began after Ward 93 councillor Vino Reddy called a site meeting with Johannesburg Water (JW), the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) and Ward 93 councillor candidate Tracy Kensey to determine responsibility for the site.

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Kensey, who visited the site as work got underway, said there had been a prolonged disagreement between JW and JRA over the source of the water at the excavation.

“This excavation has been open for approximately a year, so there has been a bit of a tussle between Johannesburg Water and JRA to ascertain where the water is coming from,” she said.

According to Kensey, an inspection was conducted following the site meeting, with the water identified as groundwater. This allowed JRA to proceed with the reconstruction.

She explained that the team was building a concrete base before constructing a brick structure to restore the stormwater inlet to its previous condition.

“So here, what you will see them doing they are building the concrete base, and then they are going to build the brick bay so that this stormwater drain can continue as it used to a year ago,” she said.

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Reddy confirmed that he had called on both JRA and JW to attend the site meeting after weeks of indecision over which entity was responsible for the repairs.

Reddy said the parties discussed the matter and agreed that JRA would rebuild the stormwater inlet while investigating the source of the water. He added that JW had previously tested the water, confirming that it was fresh water.

“All parties agreed on the way forward. JRA is to construct the new stormwater inlet,” Reddy said.

According to Reddy, the reconstruction was expected to take about a week, with work already underway at the time of his update.

The start of repairs marks progress on an issue that has frustrated residents and raised concerns about the prolonged delay in reinstating the affected section of road.

He said JRA had confirmed that the repair was on its list of work but was unable to provide a timeline because of its existing backlog.

Both Johannesburg Water and the Johannesburg Roads Agency were contacted for comment on the excavation and the repair work underway.

However, no response had been received from either entity at the time of publication. Updates will be published as more information becomes available.

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