Residents frustrated as metro fails to repair Silverton water leak despite promises
A water leak reported about two weeks ago at a busy Silverton intersection remains unrepaired, despite Tshwane’s promise to fix it by July 31.
The metro has failed to repair a water leak in Silverton almost two weeks after it was reported, while thousands of litres of water flood the street and flow into the stormwater drains.
The persistent leak at the intersection of Simon Vermooten and Pretoria Road near the Engen garage in Silverton remains unattended, despite multiple attempts to escalate the matter.
When it was first reported, the metro had assured residents it would be resolved by July 31.
The leak seems to originate from a hole where there’s a water valve, and now it fills with water and poses a danger to pedestrians as it is on the sidewalk.
As of August 6, the water continues to spill out, leaving residents increasingly frustrated and questioning the metro’s service delivery commitments.
Despite multiple follow-ups, the issue has yet to be addressed.
Previously, metro spokesperson Selby Bokaba confirmed that the matter was reported to the municipality on July 27.
He said a municipal team was dispatched two days later, on July 29, and found that the issue was a water leak, not a sewage leak, as some initially feared.
The case was then escalated to the water distribution team, and Bokaba said the leak would be attended to on July 31.
That commitment has not been fulfilled.
Residents said that it was unacceptable, noting that the continuous water flow poses safety concerns and adds to the sense of neglect in the area, with the metro failing to keep its promise.
The metro had previously indicated that it was dealing with a significant backlog of service requests, especially in Region 6, which includes Silverton.
Referring to vandalism and aged infrastructure as key challenges, it claimed progress has been made in reducing the backlog from 456 to 131 outstanding sewer issues.
While the city has a dedicated team assigned to Silverton to address service delivery concerns, residents argue that the lack of follow-through on clear timelines is eroding public trust.
At the time of publishing, no new timeline had been provided by the metro for when the water leak would finally be fixed.
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