PHALABORWA – Disgruntled residents of Ward 11 in Phalaborwa have slammed the Ba-Phalaborwa Municipality for negligence after two gaping holes on Nollie Bosman Street, allegedly left by a municipal team, posed serious threats to both vehicles and pedestrians.

The community says the municipality has ignored multiple reports about the holes, one of which was left exposed three weeks ago after a team repaired a leaking pipe, while the other one has been open for over seven years. Instead of restoring the area, the workers reportedly left without closing the holes, which are dangerously positioned next to each other.

The situation escalated on Thursday, July 10, when the front wheel of a resident’s car sank into one of the holes and became trapped when reversing. The damage to the car left the owner and neighbours fuming.

“These holes are making our lives difficult. We do not understand why they would leave a hole open after finishing their work. They took too long to fix the pipe leak, and now they are taking even longer to fix the mess they left behind. Are we supposed to do their job for them?” said one frustrated resident.

Residents say they reported the matter multiple times, first in the days immediately after the work was done, and again on Monday, July 7, but still, no action was taken. Parents in the area are particularly worried as the school holidays are underway, and children often play near the street.

“Our children are exposed to real danger. One misstep and a child could fall into those holes and suffer serious injuries,” warned another resident.

With no help forthcoming, some residents say they are now taking matters into their own hands. “We have started making plans to fix the holes ourselves because clearly, the municipality is not going to do it.

We cannot sit and wait for someone to get hurt or another car to be damaged,” said a concerned community member. When the Herald contacted the municipal spokesperson, Jonas Mahesu, on the day of the incident, he promised that a team would be dispatched to seal the holes. However, by Monday, July 14, no team had arrived.

Upon following up, Mahesu claimed he was unaware that the technical team had not responded and assured the matter would be addressed urgently.

“I had initially sent the information to the technical team, and I was not aware that they had not responded to the matter. I will follow up,” Mahesu stated.