Metro vows to safely close exposed trench
Tshwane says the turnaround time for backfilling after repairs is 14 days. After a leak has been fixed, the team must wait for an outside contractor to backfill the trenches.
Residents in Murrayfield have voiced serious safety concerns as excavations at the corner of Althea Avenue and Brookside Road lay open and unbarricaded for over two weeks.
According to residents, soil and rubble spilt over onto the roadside, leaving a deep trench without fencing, signage or safety nets, posing a hazard to both pedestrians and motorists.
Ward 46 Councillor Pieter van Heerden confirmed that the metro backfilled the excavation after he escalated the issue.
“Tshwane has barricaded and backfilled the area and laid the excavation.”
He explained that delays occur when they want to see if their work was effective.
Van Heerden added that at other times, it is because there are different contractors for fixing pipes and clearing the excavations.
“After fixing a leak, the metro has to wait for an outside contractor to do the backfilling.”
He said the issue mirrors other trench delays across Tshwane.
Spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said the metro is grappling with a backlog of trenches waiting to be backfilled due to ongoing infrastructure damage.
He pointed out that the number keeps increasing due to the number of repairs the city is effecting on its damaged infrastructure.
Despite this, he stressed that standard safety protocol was being followed.
“The turnaround time for trenches to be backfilled is 14 days.
“In relation to this enquiry, the standard protocol was adhered to, as the trench is safeguarded and will be backfilled by the weekend.”
Asked whether contractor availability or funding delays play a role, Mashigo pointed to daily water leaks as the real culprits.
“There is a backlog of open trenches due to multiple water leaks that occur daily.
“The city has teams specially assigned to attend to all open trenches. However, the timelines cannot be determined at this point.”
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