Pretoria – The City of Tshwane has warned against acts of sabotage that deprive residents of clean potable water in and around the Rethabiseng area.
The City said shortly after the water supply was restored and the deployment of water tankers stopped this week, reports emerged indicating possible sabotage.
There were reports of tampering with the City’s infrastructure.
In a statement on Wednesday, the City of Tshwane condemned “in the strongest possible terms the probable acts of sabotage by characters hellbent on depriving residents their right to having clean potable water in and around Rethabiseng area, which is situated between Bronkhorstspruit and Ekangala in Region 7”.
Some parts of Region 7, particularly Rethabiseng and Ekangala, had been experiencing a prolonged water outage caused by the breakdown of a pump at the Bronkhorstspruit Water Treatment Plant.
The City said as a mitigating factor, water tankers were dispatched to the affected areas during that period.
On Tuesday (19 March 2024), the City reported that water had been restored in Ekangala and Rethabiseng, except Rethabiseng Ext 4, where challenges were experienced with the infrastructure network connection.
“Shortly after water supply had been restored and the deployment of water tankers stopped, reports emerged from some quarters in the affected areas indicating possible sabotage in the form of tampering with the City’s infrastructure,” said the statement released Wednesday.
“Today, the City received information that a Mahindra bakkie which was spotted in Ext 4, is suspected to be involved in meddling with water valves in the area.
“It is presumed that the alleged saboteurs of the water infrastructure are drivers of the bakkie in question, a supposition which is yet to be proven.”
The City said the Tshwane Metro Police Department had been deployed to conduct operations in the area.
“Residents are urged to write down the registration numbers of questionable vehicles and to report them immediately to the TMPD on 012 358 7095/7096. This number is manned 24/7,” the City said.
Meanwhile, there were allegations on Wednesday that tap water in Riamar Park was “brownish”, sparking fears of possible impurity.
The City said it moved swiftly to conduct sampling in the said area and “it was discovered that the water is colourless”.
The City warned those involved in the disruption of clean drinkable water in the region “to immediately desist from doing so, as this does not only threaten service delivery, but it also endangers the health of residents”.
