Rosebank residents commuting on Tyrwhitt Road and Ravenswood Avenue have been battling with traffic congestion for the last three months.
This after Joburg Water left roads dug up after repairing a burst pipe. “Joburg Water came to fix the pipe but left this dug-up mess which is causing a lot of traffic. It is now only one lane that can be used instead of two. Also, Joburg Water only came after a week to fix the burst pipe,” said Stephen Nyathi, a gardener who works on Tyrwhitt Avenue.
David Sibiya, Joburg Water’s acting marketing and communications manager, denied the City’s tardiness, stating that a major burst was reported at the corner of Ravenswood Avenue and Tyrwhitt Road on 26 April and was fixed on 27 April.
Jacob Mkandawire, another concerned resident and caretaker on Ravenwood Avenue, explained that he had seen Joburg Water representatives visiting the site over the last few weeks.
“They come check and just leave, nothing is really getting done – this needs to be fixed now.”
He added that a pothole that formed right next to the barriers blocking the dug up pavement is going to cause a motor vehicle accident. “People come speeding down the road and only then do they realise that they can only drive on one side. By that time there are cars queuing up from the other side, making it very dangerous,” he said.
Sibiya explained that whenever a burst pipe is on a road, the team only backfills with soil and compacts it because there is a standing arrangement with Joburg Roads Agency (JRA) that they carry out the tar reinstatement.
“It seems the artisan responsible for repairing the burst pipe did not book a service request with JRA. We have now booked a service request for JRA to re-instate the tar. Johannesburg Water wishes to apologise for the inconvenience caused,” said Sibiya.
Rosebank Killarney Gazette went back to the scene on 29 July after speaking to Joburg Water. The yellow barriers had been removed and the pavement appeared to have been fixed. However, the pothole had not been fixed and the tar had not been reinstated.
There will be a follow-up with comment from JRA as to when it will be fixed and whether the service request was received from Joburg Water.
Details: Joburg Water 011 688 1400.
