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DANGER: Simamkele Beja relives her trauma as she points out the manhole she fell into last Thursday in King Williams Town. Picture: ASANDA NINI.

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King William’s Town residents are outraged after a Grade 12 pupil fell into a manhole a block from her school residence.

Simamkele Beja, 18, said she and two friends were walking home to the residence last week when she fell into a metre-deep manhole.

“I was not paying much attention to where we were walking when I felt my right foot sinking into a hole,” she said.

“At first I was so shocked, I did not understand what had happened. Then I felt a searing pain,” she added.

Her friends battled to pull her out but got the help of male onlookers.

“The more they tried to pull me out the more pain I felt,” she said.

She was rushed to a nearby doctor where she got stitches and painkillers but Simamkele still complains of pain when walking and bathing.

Her mother Thobeka Beja said she blamed the municipality as it was their responsibility to maintain the city and make sure manholes were properly covered.

 “My poor daughter had to write her exams in pain, and she’s traumatised by the experience,” she said.

Beja said she tried contacting the municipal offices without success.

Buffalo City Metro spokesperson Keith Ngesi said he had no knowledge of the incident and referred queries to fellow spokesman Thandy Matebese, who was not available at the time of going to press.

Local resident Trevor Primmer said there were many such open holes around town.

“People steal the seals leaving holes exposed, but the municipality should do random checks and make sure that people do not fall in,” he said.

The teen is now waiting for her next doctor’s appointment for the stitches to be removed before she returns to the residence.

Comments

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Wed Jun 19 21:06:10 SAST 2013 ::

Sep 26, 2012

Tasto

Oh a very easy and winnable case my child maar EC government better gor for NATIONAL ONE minister of public works and sue them!!
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Sep 26, 2012

Printa

iTS IS THE VERY COMMUNITY THAT STEALS THE COVERS AND NOW ITS THE COMMUNITY THAT SUFFER and my friend you saying the Government must be sued...

How ironic.
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Sep 26, 2012

Papage

sue them
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Sep 26, 2012

msizi

this girl opakile nyana , ke nyaka ho monyoba
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Sep 26, 2012

Nastradamas

@msizi
this girl opakile nyana , ke nyaka ho monyoba
=====================================
i have a cure for that weak eyeside of yours, o bona kae mopako mo ?
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Sep 26, 2012

msizi

tsheba S.A flag ko moragong ntate, ke mopako dae ding
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Sep 27, 2012

ntyantya

@ a.pirlo haibo,chill broe it's still early for such words,probably you didn't get it all this morning so just get over it. The community knows those thiefs who steal the seals but they keep quiet and want to blame government

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