eMBALENHLE – The whole of eMbalenhle has been without water for nearly a week after a 500mm main supply pipe burst in Kinross.
The problem began on Friday, 9 March and Govan Mbeki Municipality said it was waiting for Rand Water to arrive and conduct an investigation at the connection point from their line.
However days went by without any results and the municipality issued a statement on 11 March at about 5pm to inform residents of a major water pipe that burst on the line that supplies water to eMbalenhle from Kinross.
“The team is on site working to find the fault and to repair the pipe. This is a major job and will take time to repair.”
“We are sourcing water carts to supply the public with water while repairs are underway.”
Council urged those who had water to save water and to store it in cans before the water is cut completely.
Locals were urged to ensure that all taps were tightly closed to avoid water damage when the line is fixed.
People were however days later still without water and the municipality said on Tuesday, 13 March their team had begun with repairs, but they were unsure when the repairs would be finished and apologised for the inconvenience.
Locals voiced their anger on social media platforms.
They said on the municipality’s Facebook page that the municipality is incompetent and untruthful.
Ms Thembisile Nkosi from Ext 8 said life is very difficult without water and that she had to take care of her 70-year-old sick mother and her six-month-old baby.
She said the water trucks supplied water to only selected places and that she had to go to Kinross to get water from a friend.
“This is difficult, no one is saying anything to us.
“Doing simple household chores such as cooking, washing and cleaning is difficult and overwhelming, because our water is limited and every drop must be well used.
“I do not know what to do anymore because my friend is also complaining that her bill will be high.”
The water interruptions did not only affect households, but schools as well.
Learners from various schools were sent home on Friday, Monday and Tuesday due to the water problem.
Mr Bheki Kubheka, acting chief of staff, said on Tuesday the team was draining the water and they would have begun to install the clamps on the pipe.
He could not say when residents would have water again.
