Nkomazi mayor warns against illegal water connections
Executive mayor Phindile Magagula said illegal water connections are a setback as the municipality consistently aims to supply water to households in the correct way.
The Nkomazi Local Municipality’s (NLM) mayor, Phindile Magagula, has warned community members against connecting to the water network illegally, especially to the bulk lines.
Magagula said the municipality is working around the clock to ensure that residents receive consistent water supply, and that their biggest enemy in this endeavour is illegal connections.
“I am sounding the alarm and issuing a warning to anyone who connects water illegally, as it disrupts all our efforts to get a steady water supply to villages. In an effort to curb this issue, we have introduced steel pipes to supply water in Nkomazi. It is baffling to note that even those pipes are illegally connected to in so many villages.
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Local artisans are the enablers of this trend, because they are the ones with the skills to connect to the steel pipes. The latest incident was in Block A, where the steel pipe was illegally connected to by some community members,” said Magagula.
She described this issue as a setback not only for the municipality, but for the community as well.
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“It takes time and money to get a replacement for the main pipe, money which the municipality doesn’t have. And during the period of installing a new pipe, the affected community would have to go for about three months without water. We urge residents to stop connecting to any bulk lines, whether it’s steel or plastic. It is uncalled for and it counteracts the progress of the municipality.”
