Ward 99 councillor, Nicole van Dyke, advised residents of Robindale to report the frequently burst pipes in the area to Johannesburg Water.
Residents need to request a reference number and take a photo of the burst pipe. This information will help Van Dyke escalate the issue.
According to Van Dyke, the normal turn-around time for a leaking pipe is 24 hours and a burst pipe should be seen to in less time, especially because of water restrictions.
“I have been on-site for at least seven burst pipes in the last two months, where the water is spraying out of the pipes,” said Van Dyke. The problem was that contractors of internet service providers were meant to dig to a certain level to lay the fibre sleeves but Robindale was built on rocky foundations and therefore all the water pipes were not laid at the same level, she added. Van Dyke said part of the infrastructure had not been sufficiently maintained and the pipes were beginning to erode.
She added that the City of Joburg needed to rework the pipe infrastructure and install a new system.
Van Dyke said of the two contractors that were digging in the area – Vumatel and Vodacom – Vumatel stayed on-site when they encountered burst a pipe, whereas she had experienced problems with Vodacom contractors, who leave the site.
Vodacom spokesperson, Byron Kennedy, said, “To the best of our knowledge, there are no Vodacom contractors operating in that area at this point in time. As a responsible corporate, we are fully committed to remedying the situation should we find anything to the contrary.” When given dates and addresses of incidents that pointed to Vodacom contractors, Kennedy replied, “Vodacom was not involved in the incidents listed which took place in Robindale.”
In the list of dates and addresses compiled by the Sector 3 Community Policing Forum of burst pipes allegedly caused by Vodacom, was the burst pipe on the corner of Cloverley Avenue and Truman Street, for which residents had initially blamed Vumatel.
Vumatel spokesperson, Kirsten Eddy, confirmed they were not responsible and said, “Vumatel did not cause the water pipe damage in Robindale. Another infrastructure company working in the area damaged the pipe.” However, Vumatel did not comment further if Vumatel was responsible for any other burst pipe incidents in the Robindale area.
Details: Nicole van Dyke 071 382 1992.
