Vagrants wreak havoc from unsecured valve station
Reports on vandalism and thefts have eminated from the station.
FOR years, vagrants have been living in an unsecured water valve pump station located between Delville Road and North Coast Road in Parkhill.
This has raised some concerns among the community, as there have been several reports of vandalism and thefts emanating from the station. The latest of these incidents involved the explosion of an electrical box at the bottom of Delville Road. A technician had to be sent out on 28 November to repair the damage.
According to Mvoti Neighbourhood Watch chairman, Wayne Nettmann, reports from council claimed that equipment from within the station was damaged and stolen, resulting in the explosion of the electrical anti-corrosion box, which prevents the pipes in the valve chamber from corroding. Nettmann added that several unsuccessful efforts have been implemented by the watch to remove the vagrants from the station, but within a day or so the occupants return.
What’s more, the vagrants are also said to have tampered with the valves themselves.
“A few years ago, water supply was significantly decreased in Glen Anil after they turned down one of the valves. The pipes were making a noise within the station and they turned them down. This was information we received from the water department,” said fellow watch member, William Collingwood, who also owns a business near the station.
Collingwood also said that during one of the raids at the station, they recovered two stolen handbags. “We managed to track down one of the owners, and it turned out that the bag was stolen in La Lucia,” he said.
On Friday last week, the Northglen News joined Cllr Shaun Ryley as he investigated the issue at the station. While at the scene, two of the vagrants were spotted climbing into the station.
When approached by Ryley, the men admitted that they, along with six other people, were living in the station. They told the councillor that they were from Inanda and were struggling to find work.
While residents have reported the issue to the water department in the past, Ryley escalated the situation last week. He said he also alerted the land invasion unit, Metro Police as well as the SAPS.
“The department needs to fulfil it’s responsibility to secure the facility to prevent any further potential damage to vital municipal property which provides essential services to the people in the area,” he said.
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