Residents left high and dry for entire weekend due to damaged electric cable
Last weekend the entire town was literally left high and dry with no electricity and not a single drop of water.
LYDENBURG – Last weekend the entire town was literally left high and dry with no electricity and not a single drop of water.
The residents were outraged when they had to spend the whole weekend in the dark, with no running water and without any warning from the municipality.
They had to buy water for bathing and drinking. But soon, several stores in town began to run out of bottled water.
Ms Leonie Pieterse, a community member, said that the weekend posed a challenge to her as she lived next to the dump site.
“I could not use my air purifier which I need for my son, who is not well,” she explained.
Some business owners in town lost customers due to the power outage.
According to the municipal communications manager, Mr Puleng Mapheto, the allegation that council had not informed the community that there would be a shortage of water, was not true.
“The shortage on Saturday afternoon was caused by damage to the electric cable.
A contractor is installing new pipes next to the water works and that was why the pump didn’t function for a couple of hours,” he concluded.
Strangely enough, Mapheto said that they had not received any report about an electricity shortage in town.
