Hlelolenkosi Cebekhulu is lucky to be alive.

So says her mother, Andile Twala, after the little girl fell into open manhole in Colita last Tuesday.

The six-year-old was on her way to Estcourt Primary School and did not see the open hole in the ground, as it was disguised under standing rainfall.

The child slipped into the manhole and according to her mother was drowning before two female learners from Estcourt Secondary School rescued her.

“When my daughter came home, she was wet and covered in filth. She was crying non-stop and we were all shocked. We took her to the doctor and she is receiving treatment for swallowing dirty water,” explained Ms Twala.

While she is relieved that her daughter was not seriously hurt or even killed, Mrs Twala is livid that Uthukela District Municipality officials only acted after the incident.

“I know that the school principal reported this open manhole more than three weeks ago and nothing was done until now. This is unacceptable. If someone is walking past there at night, they would not see it, someone could die,” she said.

Estcourt Primary School Principal Mrs Carol Lambert confirmed that she reported the uncovered manhole just under a month ago and is disappointed that the authorities only took action after Hlelolenkosi fell inside.

Mrs Lambert remarked that a sewer leak close to the school’s entrance has also been a recurring problem.

“This sewer always erupts and is terribly unhygienic. Sometimes the water is splashed onto the children by passing vehicles and they have to go home and change. We have written to Uthukela a long time ago but they just repair the sewer and when it rains, we have the problem again. They need to repair the root cause of the problem,” commented Mrs Lambert.

Acting Water Services Manager Glen Singh did not respond to the incident at the time of going to print.