Viral video sparks outrage as online users suspect municipal sabotage
The eThekwini Municipality has stated that the water pipe seen in the video is not a major pipeline.
A VIRAL video showing a municipal worker working on a water pipeline has sparked outrage online as people suspect that the City worker is sabotaging the job.
The video depicts a man in an eThekwini Water Services uniform hammering on a water pipe with tools, and after a few taps, the pipe bursts, filling the forged pit the man is standing in with water in seconds.
The video that was posted on the Pete’s Post Facebook page garnered attention as social media users questioned whether the bursting of the pipe was intentional.
“They know exactly what they are doing. Overtime. Double pay to do the same job twice,” commented Facebook user Maxine Van Wyk on the recent post.
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eThekwini Municipality’s spokesperson Gugu Sisilana said the eThekwini Municipality is aware of the viral video of a municipal employee, “The employee was installing a new connection for an individual consumer, also known as a domestic pipeline. This is not a major pipeline that supplies water to thousands of residents and businesses.”
The residents were specifically triggered by the video in light of the water challenges that many residents in affected areas of Durban are facing.
Sisilana says the incident is not linked to the water challenges affecting residents in the north of Durban. “An update on the work that is underway to address water challenges in the north was communicated during a media briefing a few days ago by the municipality and the National Department of Water and Sanitation. As part of maintaining constant communication with affected residents, there are also weekly war-room meetings that are held where municipal employees update community representatives about the ongoing interventions.”
Some social media users questioned if the municipal worker was even qualified for the job: “That is not the correct method for a live pipe tie-in. Simple job made worse,” commented Craig Scott under the post.
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According to Sisilana, the Municipality’s Water and Sanitation Unit has highly qualified technical teams, which include engineers and plumbers who are committed to service excellence.
“The circumstances surrounding this unique and isolated incident are being investigated,” concluded Sisilana.
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