Residents of Wentworth Park were up in arms after a brief water-supply disruption on 20 January.
What looked like yet another burst pipe in Krugersdorp’s old infrastructure at first turned out to be crime related.
Mogale City officials on site told the news that an attempt to steal an air valve went wrong.
It is believed that the one attempting to steal the air valve ended up damaging the valve instead, causing the water to gush out like a fountain.
Within a matter of hours Mogale City officials from the Water and Sanitation Department managed to stop the wastage and restored the normal water flow to the neighbourhood.
According to residents, the water was turned back on by 9pm that night.
The news received word that a new air valve is to be installed today.
Stealing these air valves is extremely dangerous and can be fatal because of the water pressure in the pipes.
It is believed criminals steal these valves to sell as scrap metal.
