The search for a 6-year-old boy who slipped and fell into an uncovered manhole in Soweto has highlighted the increase in vandalism and theft of manhole covers in the City of Joburg.
Search and recovery teams are continuing their search after a week of looking for Khayalethu Magadla.
Johannesburg Emergency Services have widened their search efforts following fears that Magadla’s body may have drifted away in the vast underground pipeline network.
This comes as open gutters are becoming more frequent across the metro posing a threat to the safety of residents.
It’s exactly a week since 6-year-old Khayalethu Magadla fell into an uncovered manhole whilst playing soccer with his friends in Dlamini park.
Johannesburg Emergency Service Robert Mulaudzi said no resources have been spared in the search operation.
“This morning we are back on-site at the Dlamini one in Soweto where initially the young boy fell last Sunday. We are continuing using our robot which has got an underwater camera and which on the surface it has a camera which gives us a 360 view of the pipeline itself”.
Meanwhile, the City of Joburg has been accused of negligence for its failure to replace stolen manhole covers across the metro. These are often traded for money at scrap yards.
Action SA has called for city officials to compensate the Magadla family.
