Update 11 January 2017, 10.45am
The burst water pipe at the corner of Witkoppen and Main roads has been repaired.
Joburg Water spokesperson, Hector Mphephu, said the repair team had fixed the pipe between 12 and 1pm yesterday.
Officials were unable to determine the exact time the pipe burst, but Mphephu said the standard turnaround time for repairs is 12 hours.
Community members posted messages on social media after they saw water shooting about 10 metres into the air from the burst pipe. Asked about the possible cause, Mphephu said, “The pipe is old, so it just burst.”
He said that although the water supply had been restored, residents might still be experiencing issues that Joburg Water was not aware of.
Initial Report 10 January 2017, 13.30 pm
A water pipe that burst at about 8.30am on 10 January on the corner of Witkoppen and Main roads will take about five hours to be repaired after Joburg Water officials only arrived four hours after water had started flowing down the intersection.
Fourways motorist Russel Meiring took to Twitter to alert Joburg Water of the burst pipe.
Read Joburg Water honours exceptional employees
“Someone has some explaining to do. . . Pipe spewing water cnr Main and Witkoppen, Paulshof,” Meiring tweeted.
Joburg Water responded to Meiring via Twitter, saying technicians would address the issue. Tidimalo Chuene, spokesperson for Joburg Water, said the burst pipe complaint was logged with officials at about 6.30am. The Fourways Review witnessed two Joburg Water technicians arriving at 10.20am and water stopped gushing from the pipe shortly after they arrived.
Upon inquiry, one technician at the scene estimated that the pipe may have burst last night or during the early hours of the morning. The technician also estimated that the water was gushing about 10m in the air. The cause is still unknown.
Chuene told the Fourways Review that a repairs team was on site and the estimated time for completion would be about five hours. ” Residents in the surrounding areas are requested to use water sparingly during this period,” Chuene said.
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