Water shortages for parts of Vryheid after pipe damage

Stefan Landman said he will be laying a charge against the company blamed for the damage to the water pipe.

June 26, 2019

Vryheid Herald 1 minute read

Water runs in a flood from the intersection of President and Church Streets, after a main pipe was damaged.

Director of Town Planning and Strategic Development for AbaQulusi Municipality, Stefan Landman warns that certain parts of Vryheid may suffer intermittent water shortages over the next few days, after a company laying fiber optic cables reportedly hit a main water pipe, at what he refers to as one of the busiest intersections in town.

Stefan Landman and Myles Bowes at the intersection of President and Church Streets.

“Municipal infrastructure has been destroyed,” he explained, ankle deep in water at the intersection of President and Church Streets this afternoon. “The amount of water that is being wasted is unfathomable…”

Stefan Landman explains the situation to Msizi Kunene.

He further stated he will be laying a charge against the company blamed for the damage to the water pipe. Landman said the company was specifically instructed not to drill in that area.

“They applied for a way leave to drill in the area and we refused, due to the immense amount of municipal infrastructure in that specific area. There are water pipes, electrical infrastructure and even Telkom lines in that area and we, both verbally and in writing, refused. But they went ahead, and this is not the first time they have been responsible for damaging municipal infrastructure.”

Landman referred to a previous project by the same company, at the intersection of Utrecht and High Streets, where the road was damaged and not restored to its former condition upon completion of the project.

At the time of publication, Myles Bowes had been brought in to assess the situation, and was tasked with finding a way to shut off the valves, which were somewhat concealed when resurfacing of the intersection was done several years ago.

“We hope that, if all goes according to plan, the supply of water will be restored to affected areas within the next three days,” said Landman optimistically. “We apologise for the inconvenience this has caused to residents and businesses in the area. While we may not be responsible for the damage, we are working tirelessly to rectify this situation…”