Ekurhuleni Metro is in the process of replacing metal manhole covers with branded orange plastic covers.
The replacement of old cast-iron covers is one of the municipality’s efforts to curb vandalism and theft of these covers, Themba Gadebe, metro spokesman, said.
“The new plastic covers do not have the monetary value that the metal thieves are looking for and we believe it is a ground breaking intervention to put an end to this malicious crime. Of great value to the residents is the reduction of the risk of falling into the manholes,” he said.
The new manhole covers, Gadebe added, will also go a long way in decreasing the number of overflowing sewers which are mainly caused by foreign objects being dumped into open manholes.
Furthermore, a task team has been set up to visit scrap yards across Ekurhuleni in search of any cast iron manhole covers and other municipal-owned property that were traded for money.
In cases where scrap yards are found in possession of council-owned items, a charge of theft will be laid against the owners of the company. The municipality must be able to prove that the items are council property.
The city encourages residents to continue reporting missing manhole covers and any suspicious or illegal activity to the call centre on 0860 54 3000.
