After water provision to Ekangala and Rethabiseng residents was reportedly delayed due to infrastructure tampering, the City of Tshwane yesterday said water has been restored to all areas in Region 7, which includes Bronkhorstspruit.
This comes after weeks of an outage caused by the breakdown of a pump at the Bronkhorstspruit Water Treatment Plant, forcing residents to take to the streets to demand water supply.
Municipal spokesperson Selby Bokaba said a new pump and motor were successfully installed at the plant on Friday.
The broken pump was a critical component for the distribution of water to the reservoirs supplying drinkable water to the consumers.
Bokaba said: “Tshwane kept to its commitment that it would take a few days for the system to recover and stabilise before full water supply is restored to all the areas in Region 7.”
He said full supply has been restored in Ekangala and Rethabiseng, except in Rethabiseng Extension 4 because of the infrastructure network connection.
According to him, Extension 4 will start receiving water once there is enough water pressure in the whole area. The high lying areas are also receiving water.
“There are indications that water is gradually trickling in at Ekandustria since this morning (yesterday),” he said.
On Monday the City expressed dismay following the discovery of an intrusion into a chamber housing where the cross-border valve is located.
The valve, the City said, regulates and controls the flow of water to Ekangala and Rethabiseng areas.
“The Water and Sanitation Department observed a decrease in pressure and ultimately no water supply in the area this morning. Upon inspection, it was discovered that the said valve, which is located at Ekangala, had been tampered with,” the City said.
Municipal technicians were able to lift up the mechanism used to prevent the water flow.
The City warned those tampering with its infrastructure that such actions border on criminality, and if caught, they would be arrested and prosecuted.
“Residents are urged to report any suspicious activity around the City’s infrastructure to the Tshwane Metro Police Department on 012 358 7095/6,” the City said.
Pretoria News