A 28-year-old scooter driver was injured on Monday night when his scooter hit mounds of sand after swerving to avoid a hole in a road caused by a burst pipe.

The Madibeng municipality dug trenches in Bloodwood Street in Melodie about three months ago to fix a broken water pipe. The trenches were not filled and mounds of sand had been left in the road. The pipe recently burst again, causing a pothole in the road and Madibeng was requested to repair the pipe one more and fill the gaping trenches that pose a threat to motorists and pedestrians.

The scooter driver, who was delivering pizzas for Panarottis,  swerved to avoid the large hole in the road that was filled with water. His scooter hit the sand mounds in the road. He was taken to hospital.

“I have officially requested the municipality seven times in the past three months to fix the pipe and fill the trenches. It is especially dangerous at night. Motorists cannot see the heaps of sand in the road and everyone tries to avoid the water-filled pothole,” said DA ward councillor, Erna Rossouw.

“I only received a reply to my repeated requests once. The director of technical services told me the municipality only had one TLB and that the same people who fix the water pipes are not allowed to fill the trenches. That was supposedly another contractor’s work.”

Rossouw said she had sent the accident photos and another urgent request for assistance to the municipality on Tuesday morning but again received no reply.

The municipality has also not responded to Kormorant’s enquiry yet.