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BOIPATONG. - A two-year old child is reeling in pain and cannot sleep at night as his face is disfigured. This is after he fell into a storm water drain that was not closed off in Boipatong on Sunday.

According to the child's mother, Mapaseka Mahloko, her child was playing outside when she was called by a friend to say that he had fallen in the hole while playing with other children. "He was pulled out of there, badly scarred on his face, and I took him to the Johan Heyns Hospital in Vanderbijlpark, where he was treated and released on the same day", says Mahloko.

The hole was left open by contractors who are busy renovating the roads in the area. The renovation-project was started early this year and was scheduled to end at around July, but it still carries on because of extensions.

Little Siyabonga Mahloko's face has a visible deep cut and is swollen. Siyabonga is in so much pain that he showed signs of restlessness while Vaal Weekly spoke to his mother.

Mapaseka Mahloko adds that she is worried about the safety of the other children as the hole is still open and nothing is being done about it.

Emfuleni Local Municipality MMC for Public Transport, Roads and Public Works and Ward 8 Councillor, Mabandla Ronyuza, says that contractors are busy with the renovation of roads in the area and adds that the project is commissioned by Gautrans on behalf of the Sedibeng District Municipality. It is overseen by the Emfuleni Local Municipality.

Ronyuza says, "We are very sorry as a municipality about what happened and we cannot take pride in people getting hurt, but members of our community are also to be blamed as they are the ones that removed the wood structures that were used as barricades around the area and used them as firewood".

He adds that the contractors will see to it that the child's medical needs are taken care of and that the Department of Labour has been roped in on the saga.

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