Suspected cable theft is allegedly the reason for the residents in the Forderville and Colita area waking up to no water on Monday morning.

Frustration reached maximum levels when the morning routine was disrupted and children preparing to write exams and households readying their Diwali treats came to a halt. According to an incident report received by the emergency services, electrical cable from the outside of the pump house in Canna Avenue was stolen on Friday.

This caused a large amount of water to leak onto the street. On Monday morning another case of cable theft was received. This time the suspects gained entry into the pump house and made off with a loot of electrical cable from the inside as well as the outside. The doors were also damaged.

Again a water leak was evident and as Uthukela District Municipality staff worked to repair the cable, the water supply was left to run, pooling across the road from Princes Park, turning the large field into a mini-dam.

Water supply to areas in Forderville and Colita was cut off. A resident who was perturbed by this water wastage said that Uthukela staff should have rather shut off the water supply, instead of allowing thousands of litres of fresh water go to waste.

Uthukela District Municipality Speaker and local resident Tim Jeebodh appealed to residents to be on the lookout for any signs of crime in their neighbourhoods.

“It is obvious that the suspects are from the community and know what they are doing. They used angle grinders to cut the doors opened to get to the cables. I plead with residents to be observant and those dealing in scrap metal to come forward and report any criminal activity. The value of the scrap metal is minimal but the inconvenience caused to the community is mounting,” commented Mr Jeebodh.

Report suspicious activity to police on 036 342 9525.

No official comment was received from Uthukela District Municipality about when residents in Forderville and Colita can expect a consistent water supply.