RAPULA MOATSHE
Residents in Ekangala's high-lying areas in the City of Tshwane’s Region 7 are bracing themselves for an extended wait without water, with officials warning that it may take days for the supply to be restored.
The disruption comes after a pipe repair affected the Zithobeni reservoir which supplies water to the area.
While the repair work has been completed, local councillor Fidel Phiri cautioned that it will take some time for the water to reach all areas, particularly those in high-lying locations.
Phiri said the upper-lying areas in Ekangala may have to wait several days before their water supply is restored.
“In Ekangala they are still without water and it can take them days before they receive water because they were upper-lying areas,” he said.
The leak on the water pipe responsible for the water interruption affecting the Zithobeni reservoir and surrounding areas has been blamed on poor workmanship.
The fault was discovered on a pipe located on the mountain a few days after the reservoir was repaired, forcing the municipality to shut down the facility again.
Phiri ruled out the possibility of sabotage on the pipe, saying the fault was due to shoddy work performed in the past.
“The issue is with the quality of work done earlier. The pipe required welding, similar to previous instances. However, unlike before, when the welding was done from the inside out, this time it was only patched on top,” he said.
The City posted on social media that repairs to the two leaks spotted on the Zithobeni water network system have been completed.
“The water supply will be opened gradually to fill the empty canal structure. It is anticipated that the network will recover overnight, allowing the affected communities to receive potable water soon. Communities are still encouraged to use water sparingly,” the City said.
It further said water tankers have been provided to ease the pressure of not having water in some parts within the region.
Frustrated residents lashed out at the management of Region 7, accusing them of allowing personal agendas to dictate decisions, rather than prioritising the needs of the community.
One of them said on social media: “This is not the first time we have experienced water interruptions and poor service delivery. It is like Region 7 has become a playground for people to push their own agendas, without regard for the people they're supposed to serve.”
This is not the first time Zithobeni has experienced water supply interruptions due to reservoir issues.
In June last year, the area faced a prolonged water outage due to complications with repairing a major leak on a main bulk pipeline supplying the reservoir.