A major cable theft stops sewer pump station from working

On Saturday, 02 July 2022, municipal officials from the electrical, network systems and pump station units in the department of technical services worked tirelessly to ensure that the ext 03 sewer pump station was fixed and operational. They were accompanied by managers from the offices of the executive mayor, a single whip and the technical services as a form of support to ensure that necessary services are delivered to the people. sewer-sucking trucks were organized to suck in order to clear the sewer line. 

According to the municipal acting communication manager, Jeanette Tshite, the electrical team looked into the electrical box that is located at the pump station in order to switch it on following the work of clearing the sewer line. 

“When they checked on it they found that the pump struggles to work as its cable as long as a 10meter has been dug from the ground and stolen,” she explained.

“The cable was replaced, fixed and the pump station started to work again and now it has reportedly stopped working following illegal electricity connection and cable theft that previously took place on it,” she added.

Many households around the Promosa area were affected by illegal connections and cable theft carried out on the Ext 03 sewer pump station by some residents. Because the pump station was no longer operational, sewer systems in the households also stopped working and that resulted in sewers flowing inside the houses. “Municipal officials from the department of technical services indicated that they had to run for their lives on more than one occasion as they were stoned and chased away by residents from Ext 03 and the nearby areas when they went to fix the particular pump station,”  Tshite indicated.

“Following all the work and efforts that were put in by municipal officials ensuring that the ext 03 sewer pump station is left in a good working condition on Saturday, 02 July 2022, we woke up to the bad news on Monday, 04 July 2022 that the electric box on the same pump was tempered with as a result, it has stopped working again,” Tshite said.  That means, going back to the situation where sewage would be flowing again into the households. When they went to check the extent of damage the electrical team found that various parts such as the relay in the electrical box were found burnt/damaged and they also found some small pieces of cables that were cut on the ground.

JB Marks Local Municipality once again condemns all activities aimed at destroying the infrastructure and urges residents to work together with the municipality and the police in reporting and fighting crime, including cable theft and illegal connections.