THE Corielle family have lived at their Hillcrest home for 45 years, and only discovered a massive water pipe under their driveway last December when it burst and flooded their yard and neighbouring homes.

“We were alerted by our neighbour who called us at 03:00 informing us of the incident; we woke up and we were shocked. Patrollers, and the community policing forum also came,” said homeowner Carla.

“The fire brigade also responded but they had to leave as there was nothing they could do,” she said.
The family said the municipal workers came around 09:00 and “it took a while even for them to switch off the water”.

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“They worked until nighttime, they promised to return the following day but never did. Recently, two trucks came to deliver sand and that gave us hope, but the pile of sand is sitting outside our gate and people are stealing it,” she said.

Despite promises to return, the issue remains unresolved. The family said they are concerned about safety hazards, including a telephone pole hanging precariously and a subsiding fence, which poses a risk to their grandchildren.

A huge pipe was left opposite the home in Leslie Road on the day of the incident.

“This was the first pipe that they brought when the pipe burst. It could not fit and they had to get a bigger one. This one is now sitting here, I am sure they could use it somewhere else,” said Carla’s husband, Gianni.

The family tried reaching out to the City to fix this issue themselves, but did not receive any response.

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The family find it surprising that during their 45 years on the property no municipal worker has serviced the main pipe. Despite numerous attempts to contact the municipality, including calls, emails, and office visits, the issue persists. Even the local PR councillor, Jen Black, has struggled to get a response.

“Coming to the paper is our last resort as we have tried everything,” said the frustrated family.
PR councillor for Ward 8, Black, said she has also escalated the matter numerous times to the area manager.

“The matter has not been resolved and I have not received any response. The family had high hopes when workers came to drop off the sand, but it has been sitting there,” she said.

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