By Louise Flanagan
The City of Joburg has replaced about 28 000 covers for manholes, hydrants and meters over the past four years because so many are stolen or smashed.
"I'm tired, every day is the same," said Joburg Water's Phumzile Valashiya, who was at work on Monday in Rosettenville Road just south of the CBD, replacing yet another valve chamber cover. "They're starting to take the frames as well."
The City of Joburg has spent R11,65-million replacing hydrant, valve chamber and sewer covers in the last four years.
The worst was the 2004/5 financial year, when R4,25-million was spent to replace 10 437 covers - 9 393 missing and 1 044 damaged. In 2005/6, another R3,22-million was needed to replace 9 401 covers (7 038 missing and 2 363 damaged).
The next year it cost R1,78-million to replace another 3 725 covers.
In 2007/8, the city budgeted R2,38-million to replace 4 615 covers.
Valashiya and Vusi Veleti are one of four Joburg Water teams which maintain the area from Fordsburg to Rosettenville, Bruma and Louis Botha Avenue for damaged covers and water leaks.
Broken or missing covers are now replaced with blue fibreglass covers, to try to outsmart the thieves who steal the original iron covers to sell for scrap. But Joburg Water site co-ordinator Abe Majozi, who runs the four teams, said the fibreglass covers weren't strong enough and were often broken by vehicles. "There's always something broken," he said. "It's not a sustainable solution because it keeps on breaking. It's a big problem."
Complaints about vehicle damage from uncovered holes are common and Majozi remembered a blind woman being injured when she fell in an uncovered hole in the CBD a couple of years ago. His team is kept busy endlessly recovering meter boxes, manholes, valve chambers, hydrant boxes and sewers. "It's such a waste."
City of Joburg spokesperson Gabu Tugwana said the metro also paid out about R650 000 every year to motorists whose vehicles were damaged, including damage caused by broken or missing covers and potholes.
Claiming for vehicle damage is possible but difficult, as motorists have to prove their claims. Tugwana said the city would rather spend the money on delivery than on endless replacements and called on people to report the thieves.
"We need citizens to come on board and work with us to eliminate this unacceptable activity," he said. "It's a wasted resource."
Earlier this month the Joburg metro police arrested a scrapyard dealer based in the CBD after she was caught buying stolen hawker stands made of steel.
Inspector Xoli Mbele said Shu Hong Zhu, 38, was convicted in the Johannesburg magistrate's court of possession of stolen goods. She was sentenced to 12 months or a fine of R5 000, plus a two-year sentence suspended for five years.
On Monday the scrapyard where she was arrested, in Henry Nxumalo Street under the M1 bridge, was deserted and calls to the telephone numbers were unanswered. Piles of metal, including sections of palisade fencing, filled the yard.
Tugwana said police also found manhole covers at the scrapyard. He said sentences were not equal to the seriousness of the offence, as an uncovered manhole could take a life - as happened in Ekurhuleni recently when a child fell into such a hole.
Replacements also rob ratepayers, who have to pay twice or more for lids for the same hole. Majozi asked motorists to avoid the fibreglass covers if possible.
"If it's a blue cover, drive very carefully or you might break it."