Johannesburg - The bad weather that wreaked havoc on Tuesday night has caused further problems for residents who had no water and no electricity in Ekurhuleni.
The City of Ekurhuleni yesterday said large parts of the area are experiencing water supply interruptions due to an electrical fault at Rand Water’s (RW) Zuikerbosch water treatment plant.
The metro said the fault, which started in the early hours of yesterday morning, has resulted in insufficient water supply to customers in most parts of Kempton Park, Germiston, Nigel, Duduza, Tsakane, Brakpan, Bedfordview, Edenvale, Midstream, Clayville, Tembisa, and surrounding areas.
Areas such as Tsakane, KwaThema, Duduza, Brakpan, and surrounding areas have had no water for about two months now.
The lack of water forced hundreds of residents in Tsakane to take to the streets in protest.
The protest caused destruction to road infrastructure because protesters barricaded major roads with burning tyres and rocks and their destructive debris, making it difficult to have uniformed movement in the township.
The city blamed bulk supplier Rand Water for the lack of water in certain areas, as if that were not enough. Nature, in the form of bad weather, has added to the problem, which will see services continue to be hampered.
“It would seem like the problem was caused by the storm on Tuesday night, but engineers are on the ground to ensure that the situation is corrected as a matter of urgency,” said City of Ekurhuleni spokesperson Zweli Dlamini.
“What is even more sad is that just when the situation was normalising in areas like Tsakane, this latest turn of events could take us back to where we have been for weeks now. Despite this, we have taken a decision to prioritise the normalisation of the supply in Tsakane, KwaThema, and Duduza, considering their challenges in the past month,” he said.
Dlamini said technicians are closely monitoring the entire city’s water network for a possible drop in supply to other areas so that interventions can be introduced.
He added that any developments will be communicated through the city’s digital platforms.
“In the meantime, all affected areas will be allocated roving water tankers as and when the need is identified,” Dlamini said.
ActionSA in the area blamed the metro’s MMC for Water, Sanitation, and Energy, Leshaka Manamela, for a lack of services, however, this problem has been blamed on Rand Water, according to the city.
ActionSA Ekurhuleni caucus leader Siyanda Makhubo, in an interview with one of the broadcasters, said what is happening in the city is rather sad and unfortunate.
“You have a puppet mayor... strings being pulled by the EFF and the ANC externally; the arrangement they have is not working, certainly not for the residents of Ekurhuleni.”
Johannesburg Water reservoirs and towers affected:
• South Hills
• Commando system (Brixton, Hursthill, and Crosby)
• Midrand systems
• Crown Gardens
• Eagles Nest
• Naturena
• Alexander Park
• Berea
• Linden 1 tower
• Quellerina
The Star