Water and electrical issues persist in Heidelberg

The water issues have not eased. In 2023, Heidelberg was crippled because of months of little to no water, which lead to various petitions and protests to get the problem resolved.

During the last few months of last year, it seemed there was light at the end of the tunnel, however, since the start of January, the water issues have returned.

“Burst pipes have caused huge amounts of water to be spilt. Coupled with that is the implementation of load-shedding, resulting in pumps not operating correctly.

“Maintenance by Rand Water and Eskom also needs to be carried out, again causing water delays.

“Currently, the high-pressure areas’ water supply has dried up due to burst pipes. The pipes are being repaired and, hopefully, will soon be sorted out,” said Star Maholobela, the sewage and stormwater department manager.

To make matters worse, the electrical supply in Heidelberg has come under tremendous strain because the wet weather has caused multiple power interruptions.

The Lesedi Local Municipality call centre has come under pressure and there are reports from the community that, at times, the call centre does not pick up the phones because of the number of calls.

Recently, specific areas have been more severely affected than others, such as Madeliefie Street in Bergsig.
Other areas are parts of Heidelberg Central, Jameson Park, Ratanda, Luckhoff, Vaaldam Smallholdings and Rensburg.

Adding to the problem is the ongoing theft from electrical boxes. The boxes are stripped of valuable components and wires.

This frequently takes place during load-shedding.

Members of the public are encouraged to immediately report any instances of infrastructure tampering or vandalism to authorities.