Motorists and residents face ongoing road hazards and dumping after Johannesburg Water (JW) left a Buuren Street excavation unpatched for over a year following a pipe repair.

The Roodepoort Record reported on the matter on July 2, 2025, with residents stating that JW was initially repairing a leaking pipe around May 2025.

Resident Ephraim Makwatse told the Record in June 2025 that a freshwater pipe used to leak, prompting a call to JW for repairs.

• Read the intial article here: JW’s mess remains on street for months, causing traffic disruptions

“During the excavation, a stormwater pipe was damaged and was never repaired. In June this year, we actually discovered it is acidic water underground that is continuing to accumulate in the excavation due to the broken stormwater pipe,” he said.

Makwatse also expressed his disappointment in the entity, saying there seems to be a gap in service delivery.

“The excavation has also become a dumping spot because of the piles of concrete left behind,” he said.

Another resident, Willem Grundling, said it is only luck that no accidents have been reported because the holes are blocking a lane, forcing motorists to use a single lane.

JW responds

JW spokesperson Nombuso Shabalala recently confirmed that this had been reported as a water leak and the excavation remained open when a stormwater pipe was damaged during the excavation process.

Shabalala, however, did not answer questions about why the stormwater pipe had been left unattended for more than a year. When asked who was responsible for backfilling and reinstating the site after completing repairs, Shabalala said JW was responsible for backfilling and certain reinstatement work.

“Agreements are in place between the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) and JW to assist where a road reinstatement or pavement reinstatement needs to be completed, or the repairing of stormwater pipes is necessary,” she said.

JW added that it occasionally appoints service providers to help address its backlog of reinstatement work. However, these contractors are appointed specifically to deal with JW-related backlogs and do not handle issues logged with the JRA.

“In this matter, JW logged a call with the JRA to assist in replacing their broken stormwater pipe,” she said.

Shabalala did not provide a timeline for repairs and said JW would follow up with the JRA regarding the repair, adding that proper barricading of the site would be redone.

The Record sent questions to JRA on October 20 to find out about the estimated time for repairs regarding this issue, with a deadline of October 22. Their response will be published in a separate article, once received.