Children in eMbalenhle flock to dangerous trench to swim
The municipality did barricade off the site, but the fence was vandalised.
A company whose contract to install a bulk sewer line and pump station in eMbalenhle Ext 5 was terminated last year, has left open a large trench which the neighbourhood children use as a swimming spot.
The community fears for the safety of these children.
A concerned local organisation, the Govan Mbeki Joint Committee, feels the Govan Mbeki Municipality (GMM) should have barricaded the site immediately after the termination of the contract to prevent unforeseen danger.
The organisation secretary, Vusi Sibeko, said they wanted GMM to explain what action they took against the non-performing contractor to recover the wasted community funds.
“To terminate the contract of an incompetent contractor doesn’t help us. He left us with a dangerous, incomplete project. We demand transparency.”
Sibeko said several local children drown annually.
“Yet again we have another dangerous trench filling up with water. The children are attracted to the water, especially when it is so hot.”
Sibeko said steel bars and concrete are protruding from the bottom of the trench, which can injure a child.
“We also do not know what diseases are lurking in that water. Our municipality should barricade this place to prevent accidents from happening,” said Sibeko.
While Ridge Times visited the site, children from different eMbalenhle extensions were coming into groups to swim. The executive mayor, Nhlakanipho Zuma, told the council last year they had terminated the contract because of poor performance.
Zuma said at the time that Gert Sibande District Municipality would have taken over this multi-million rand project as the implementing agent.
He said the Govan Mbeki Municipality would assess the area to determine what needs to be done and take it from there. Donald Green, acting manager of communications at the municipality, said it is in the municipality’s interest to ensure that the community is safe.
Green is calling on parents, guardians, and members of the community to keep a close eye on their children to prevent them from playing at the site. He said the municipality did barricade off the site, but the fence was vandalised.
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