City covers open manholes
By Tabisa Mntengwana
10 October 2008
OPEN manholes are being covered by the municipality, following the near death of four-year-old Sonwabo Ndlanzi.
Little Sonwabo fell into an open manhole at Buffalo Park Road on Thursday, 2 October. He was saved by the prompt response of a rescue team. It took about three hours to get the child out of the hole.
So far the City has covered more than 50 open manholes since Wednesday, 9 October. The campaign is a joint initiative of the municipality and the local newspaper,
Daily Dispatch, called Cover ’em Up.
The aim is to cover all open manholes in Buffalo City with concrete slabs. “We decided to cover them with concrete since most of the metal or polymer covers were stolen,” said the municipal sewerage department superintendent, Eldred Buchholz. “We decided on something sustainable that is safe for everyone.”
Each manhole was covered as the public reports on which are still open. “We still urge the public to look out for open manholes in order for us to know where to go … It is also disheartening to learn that there are people out there who are hampering our progress by stealing these manhole covers,” he said.
Samkelo Ngwenya, the City’s senior communications and media liaison officer, said: “This campaign is a true testimony of what community involvement can achieve towards the development of our people and the improvement of service delivery.”
Speaking about the theft of the covers, Ngwenya again urged the public to become involved. “We plead with our people to report these culprits, in order to curb this sad behaviour.”
To report open manholes, contact the Buffalo City Municipality customer care office on 043 705 1749.
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