By Karabo Ntanzi
Two water leakages on the major water pipes feeding into Kimberley and its surrounds lead to a shutdown later in the week which in turn raised the ire of some residents.
On Tuesday this week the Sol Plaatje Municipality discovered two major water leaks on the 900mm diameter pipeline at Sunset Manor as well as the cross-section of the 900 and 600mm diameter chamber at Midlands.
This resulted in an emergency water shutdown on Tuesday. According to the municipality these main water pipes were installed during the 1940s in the Roodepan area.
In an effort to preserve water and to ensure a continuous flow to residents so that citizens have access to clean water, the municipality secured the services of network and bulk infrastructure specialists. It is envisaged that it will take up to Saturday this week to repair the leaks.
To mitigate the impact, the city’s acting mayor Thobeka Matika said water tankers would be deployed in all residential wards with immediate effect.
Matika said immediate attention will be given to wards that were first to be affected in the wake of the implementation of the emergency water rationing.
“We are embarking on an immediate course of action and aim to restore the water supply by Saturday”, said Matika.
However, on Thursday community members from various parts of Galeshewe including Club 2000, Tlhageng, Tlhokomelo, Vergenoeg, Sobantu and Arena protested in the various major streets by burning tyres, putting rock impediments on the road and emptied their dustbins.
Some of the protesters said they were blocking the road so as to redirect water tankers to their areas. This resulted in clashes with members of the South African police.
A ward twelve resident who was at Open Arena during the protests there on Thursday said: “Yesterday at around 11pm I heard there were water tankers in the area. Who is expected to wake up to fetch water at that time of the night? Since then I have not seen or heard of any water tankers”.
Entrepreneurs at the newly erected Galeshewe Active Box Informal Traders Hub, refurbished containers specifically designed as food courts newly installed at the Open Arena said they were disappointed as they could not sell food from their stalls as there was no water.
Thabo Mothibi, spokesperson for Sol Plaatje Municipality, pleaded with the community members who have trucks or bakkies to assist with ferrying water from the council’s waterworks complex at Riverton to all the affected wards.
In a widely circulated official voicenote issued by Mothibi in which he said: “Those with (transport) means should come to the municipality yard at the old Riverton Water Works and fetch water to ferry to Kimberley. He emphasised that those responding positively to the request would be compensated for their efforts”.
Mothibi explained that progress had been made in repairing the leaking pipes and that water will be restored at the weekend.
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