September 14, 2021, the City of Tshwane’s Water and Sanitation Department led a multidisciplinary operation to move illegal water connection at the Mamelodi Reservoir 4, east of the city.
The Executive Head in strategic communication of the Communication, Marketing and Events department, Selby Bokaba notes that the multidisciplinary operation which consisted of Bulk Water Services and Region 6Water and Sanitation Unit, follow complaints by residents of Mamelodi Extension 4 and 5, Mahube Valley and Ikageng, who has been experiencing prolonged water outages.
“Subsequent to the complaints, the Region 6 Water and Sanitation Unit, which is responsible for the upkeep of infrastructure and water supply, in conjunction with Bulk Water Services carried out an inspection on the water network,” he said.
Bokaba added that it was through the check-up that a ground bound pipeline that served as an illegal conduit of water to the nearby Bavianspoort informal settlement was discovered.
He added that the Tshwane Metropolitan Police Department (TMPD) maintained visibility throughout the operation to ensure the safety of the artisans while disconnecting the illegal water conduit.
“The illegal pipeline was cut up rendering it unusable. The city also ensured the closure of window frames with steel slates to make it difficult to break into the reservoir chamber, where the illegal connection into pressure reducing valves points was made,” Bokaba noted.
He urged residents to report acts of vandalism, tampering with electricity and water infrastructure as well as illegal connections to water network to the TMPD.
