Contractors to blame for ongoing city pipe bursts
Despite being told where not to dig, contractors still dig too deep and too close to the city's water pipes causing the various leakages
Fibre-optic cable installations were the cause of the water pipe burst at Rob Ferreira Hospital two weeks ago. This, according to Semcorp Silulumanzi, was not the first time and might not be the last.
“The company installing the fibre optics does have permission from the municipality, and is aware where the pipes are underground,” said Silulumanzi spokesman, Richmond Jele.
“When they are ready to dig in a new place, they call us and our maintenance foreman goes out to show them where to dig,” he added. Jele could not guarantee whether the instruction were strictly adhered to.
The contractors previously dug too deep at the Riverside industrial complex, close to Makro. This resulted in them hitting a pipe, causing it to burst. A second incident happened on the corner of Piet Retief and Mostert streets where the contractors dug too close to the pipes, despite being told otherwise.
The pipe burst on the corner of the R40 and Samora Machel Drive was the most recent incident. The provincial department of health spokesman, Dumisani Malamule, confirmed that this did not interrupt the hospital’s water supply.
According to Jele, a meeting has been set up with the contractor. During this meeting they will be made to sign an admission of guilt for the damages and will be invoiced for the cost for the repair thereof.
