Residents fume about taps being dry for days in Lydenburg
By Friday, September 16 some areas were still experiencing water shortages.
After being left without water for more than seven days, the first water truck in Mashishing arrived on Sunday September 11, around mid-morning.
However, the residents felt this was too little, too late. The first complaint about the lack of water had already been made to the Thaba Chweu Local Municipality (TCLM) on Thursday September 8. Mashishing, The Heads, the Sterkspruit plots, the area below Lydenburg Hospital, Chris Lombard, Schoeman and Ruiter streets, are only some of the many areas that had to go without water. TCLM endeavoured to explain the lack of water.
On Friday September 9, the generator used at The Heads water reservoir, could not keep up with the demand due to load[1]shedding. This caused the 90kW pump to break down. Electronic components were also repaired at the waterworks on Friday. At the same time, a major leak was identified on the corner of Chris Lombard and Ruiter streets.
TCLM employees worked tirelessly over the weekend to try and fix the problem. The 400mm pipeline fittings had to be replaced. TCLM did not have anything in stock. On Saturday September 10, a private business drove to Mbombela to collect the pipeline fittings on behalf of TCLM. Residents were also instrumental in orchestrating expert help.
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The DA expressed its concern. It said TLCM employees were on the scene and worked throughout the weekend, but they did not have the spares to fix the problems. “For us that is unacceptable. I feel that Thaba Chweu didn’t plan for any breakdowns. They know full well that major breakdowns can occur. By Tuesday September 13, they didn’t have drawings of where the pipelines are going. This also affects asking for excavation permits. The municipality is in a dire state.
“They didn’t have pipe connectors for the 400mm pipe, which is a critical spare. We as the DA are very concerned that there is not a planning department in this municipality. They have a fantastic risk management plan, which can’t be implemented due to the lack of infrastructure and spares,” said Spiros Couvaras, a DA councillor.
On Facebook and WhatsApp groups, residents demanded the restoration of their water supply. They were also grateful to Couvaras and Marius Opperman (another DA councillor) for working on the water problem over the weekend. Here are some of their comments:
*“This is one municipality that never has spares available, then they expect the residents to buy the spares.” – Mark Black
*“We are struggling with water; it’s about a week now without water.” – Lawrence Malope.
*“The smell of our toilets is so unpleasant. The taps are very dry. I am not convinced that we’ll be having water anytime soon.” – Mapitsi Morwamoche Tshitangano.
TCLM gave further feedback: “Some parts of Lydenburg and Mashishing experienced water supply interruptions from last Thursday leading up to the weekend. This was due to a burst pipe that supplies water to these areas. The technical team worked around the clock to fix the problem. There were, however, delays because of the unavailability of proper fittings. The water supply was restored on Sunday evening. To avoid damage to the pipe, water was pumped at low pressure. This led to a slow and delayed water supply in some areas. Pumping is now at full throttle and the entire area will have a normal water supply,” said Themba Sibiya, TCLM’s spokesperson
