Hendrik Odendaal was holding his wallet and phone as he fell into a manhole outside a local pub in Mpumalanga.
Covered in sewage‚ the injured farmer extricated himself‚ stripped off his clothes and walked naked to the Jungle Inn Pub and Grill where he scrubbed himself with Sunlight soap and water. It was no ordinary night out on the town.
Odendaal has waited more than seven years to extract some form of compensation for his ordeal from the Govan Mbeki Municipality. And now he is one step closer.
The North Gauteng High Court has ruled‚ after a drawn out dispute‚ that the municipality must compensate Odendaal for what happened on February 20‚ 2009.
The manhole was on the pavement adjacent to the pub‚ where Odendaal had gone with his cousin. Pub owner Charles Jordan had testified that it was uncovered and people had fallen in as a result. Jordan added that he had personally helped to rescue a child from it. He regarded the manhole as dangerous but testified that the municipality had failed to act on his complaints.
Odendaal had walked to the passenger side of a bakkie after leaving the pub and “suddenly felt the ground giving in and he fell into the manhole with his wallet and phone in his hands‚” said a judgment handed down on Friday by acting judge AJ Nonyane.
“He was covered with sludge all over. He took off his clothes and walked naked to Jungle Inn where he asked for soap and to use their tap. He then washed himself with Sunlight liquid while his cousin was pouring water‚ contained in a bucket‚ on him. He testified that his cousin had extra clothes with him and he then put them on and they left the place‚” said the judgment.
The municipality consistently denied that he could have fallen into the manhole‚ saying it was too narrow to have accommodated him and too deep for him to have climbed out.
Odendaal‚ said the municipality‚ would have drowned due to the sewerage sludge inside the drain and been severely affected by methane gas fumes.
The court found that the municipality had merely denied what had happened without producing any plausible supporting evidence‚ a version that “cannot be believed”.
As a result‚ the municipality is liable and will have to pay for damages – still to be negotiated with Odendaal.
Pub visit ends in manhole
Hendrik Odendaal was holding his wallet and phone as he fell into a manhole outside a local pub in Mpumalanga.
Covered in sewage‚ the injured farmer extricated himself‚ stripped off his clothes and walked naked to the Jungle Inn Pub and Grill where he scrubbed himself with Sunlight soap and water. It was no ordinary night out on the town.
Odendaal has waited more than seven years to extract some form of compensation for his ordeal from the Govan Mbeki Municipality. And now he is one step closer.
The North Gauteng High Court has ruled‚ after a drawn out dispute‚ that the municipality must compensate Odendaal for what happened on February 20‚ 2009.
The manhole was on the pavement adjacent to the pub‚ where Odendaal had gone with his cousin. Pub owner Charles Jordan had testified that it was uncovered and people had fallen in as a result. Jordan added that he had personally helped to rescue a child from it. He regarded the manhole as dangerous but testified that the municipality had failed to act on his complaints.
Odendaal had walked to the passenger side of a bakkie after leaving the pub and “suddenly felt the ground giving in and he fell into the manhole with his wallet and phone in his hands‚” said a judgment handed down on Friday by acting judge AJ Nonyane.
“He was covered with sludge all over. He took off his clothes and walked naked to Jungle Inn where he asked for soap and to use their tap. He then washed himself with Sunlight liquid while his cousin was pouring water‚ contained in a bucket‚ on him. He testified that his cousin had extra clothes with him and he then put them on and they left the place‚” said the judgment.
The municipality consistently denied that he could have fallen into the manhole‚ saying it was too narrow to have accommodated him and too deep for him to have climbed out.
Odendaal‚ said the municipality‚ would have drowned due to the sewerage sludge inside the drain and been severely affected by methane gas fumes.
The court found that the municipality had merely denied what had happened without producing any plausible supporting evidence‚ a version that “cannot be believed”.
As a result‚ the municipality is liable and will have to pay for damages – still to be negotiated with Odendaal.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending
Latest Videos