Gerhardsville residents without water for 9 days
Metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said the pipe couldn’t be replaced because of bad weather conditions.
Gerhardsville residents in Centurion have been without water for nine days following a pipe burst.
“The municipality has given us countless excuses for why they can’t fix the pipe,” said resident Anton van Rensburg.
“At least, the city disaster management tried to help, but the water tanker they are bringing is not enough because this is an agricultural area and it’s not enough for our livestock.”
Metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said the pipe couldn’t be replaced because of bad weather conditions.
Mashigo said the damaged 6m pipe will be replaced with a brand-new one.
“The procurement process is underway to acquire the required pipe, fittings, and specialised welding of the 400mm diameter pipe. In the meantime, the City will ensure that residents receive water through tankers,” he said.
When Rekord contacted Jan van der Westhuizen, a resident who previously complained about the water issue, he confirmed that they were still without water.
“Our animals are suffering. This whole thing frustrates me a lot. We can’t transport a thousand litres of water daily to our farms from the tankers,” he said.
The Gerhardsville pipe burst comes just a month after utility and infrastructure MMC Daryl Johnston announced that the municipality will replace 18 420m of pipes through a series of projects.
“But while saving water is critically important, the metro has a responsibility to ensure that we maintain our water infrastructure to reduce water leakages.”
Johnston acknowledged at the time that more was needed to be done in tackling Tshwane’s water issues, saying that would happen as the metro’s financial woes stabilise.
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