The trench is right next to the main road into Newtown from Chromevile, dug on what used to be a walkway for the people.

The biggest fear is that small children can fall into the trench because they use the road en route to school. Some of the residents’ livestock also use the area to graze

“My child passes it everyday to school. We can only pray she will come back home safe,” said Mr Aubrey Tladi, a Newtown resident.

With the upcoming rainy season a lot of people fear the worst. The place has also become a dumping site and its no pleasant view.

According to Mr Tladi he saw bulldozers digging but that the community wasn’t notified of what was transpiring.

Another Newtown resident, Mr Simon Wedy, visited the Middelburg Observer offices to express his concerns about the trench.

“We welcome development in our area, but the municipality must rehabilitate the areas they work in,” said Mr Wedy.

According to the DA councillor, Miss Palesa Mobango, they were told in a meeting in August that the trench was dug for bulk water services in Newtown. Installation has however not begun.

“The DA opposed the idea that Rand Water Services will be utilized, ” said Miss Mobango.

“With the water crisis in Gauteng the the company is not an option,” she added.

The Municipal Manager Mr Willie Fouche and Communications Officer could not be reached by time of print.