Saxonwold and Parkwood residents demand action after the alleged delay of the Sewer Pipe Replacement Project
Johannesburg Water confirmed that the contractor resumed operations in Parkwood in July
The residents of Parkwood are frustrated by the Parkwood Sewer Pipe Replacement Phase 3 Project, which started many months ago and has now allegedly been prone to delays, leaving many residents with problems.
The chairman of Saxonwold and Parkwood Residents Association (Sapra), Bill Haslam, claimed that due to the non-payment of workers by the City of Johannesburg since April, they downed tools, and residents have been left with open excavations in and outside their properties in Parkwood and Parktown North.
Haslam added, “This project has had a litany of problems, and lately, the non-payment by CoJ Finance to Johannesburg Water to pay the contractor and workers exacerbates the half-done work. When workers on the project have not been paid and consequently down tools and stop work, it is unacceptable.”
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Johannesburg Water spokesperson, Nombuso Shabalala, confirmed that there have been payment delays experienced on the project, which resulted in the labourers’ suspending work in June this year.
However, she added that the contractor resumed operations in Parkwood in July and both labour and Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises were paid.
She added that the site is always made safe to comply with Occupational Health, Safety and Environmental requirements. In addition, site inspections are done regularly to ensure safety of the community and environment.
Haslam further highlighted that the work stoppages, due to the city’s withholding of wage payments, are frequent.
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“The residents and workers are the innocent victims of this incompetence and lack of planning to make money available. The suburb has many excavations that have been dug up and left unfilled, constituting a serious accident hazard. This is a situation that suggests a fundamental lack of financial planning and is intolerable.”
Shabalala concluded that the planned completion of the project would be end of October 2025, and Johannesburg Water would endeavour to ensure that the project is completed to achieve its objectives.
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