Joburg Water left Craighall residents without water

A big excavation in Craighall Park, in the middle of the road, between Buckingham and Grosvenor avenues, left residents without water for the whole night.

The 2m-wide and about 2m-deep hole in Craighall has been an ongoing issue.

Ward 90 councillor Martin Williams explained, “I first became the councillor in August 2016 – from October 2016 I had this referenced so it has been going on for seven years.” Over the years, the hole has been fixed for a short time and then dug up again because the repairs do not last. According to Williams, the road is fixed with a concrete that constantly breaks.

The matter became worse on May 16, when the water pipes burst and left residents without water for the whole night until the next day.

Since Joburg Water came to the corner on May 16, Williams assumed that some of the water valves were switched off, which led to some residents being without water.

The place is unsafe for pedestrians to walk; some of the residents have to climb around the tree next to the whole to pass. It also causes traffic congestion. Williams explained that most of the holes that are left unattended are the problem of Joburg Water, (not JRA) because they dig up but fail to reinstate the roads.

Williams added that residents logged complaints about the issue – they don’t deserve to live in an area in such a state while they pay high rates. JRA spokesperson Kelebogile Mafa said, “Kindly note that our inspectors went on-site on Friday and returned with feedback that Joburg Water carried out emergency excavations on the site to carry out pipe repairs.”

The Rosebank Killarney Gazette sent an email to Joburg Water on May 17, but there has been no response.

“We need JRA and Joburg Water’s senior people to come here together to have a look and come up with a written plan of what they are going to do to fix this,” said Williams.

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