eMBALENHLE – The Govan Mbeki Municipality said the water treatment works in eMbalenhle is now operational after robbers attacked the security guards and stole cables in July.
A security guard was allegedly shot in the leg when men armed with guns overpowered the security guards who were on duty at the eMbalenhle Wastewater Treatment Works on Sunday night, July 10. They cut the electricity cables that supplied power to the plant.
The municipality said the theft impacted the community because all the pump stations stopped working. A case of damaging and tampering with municipal infrastructure was opened at eMbalenhle Police Station.
According to Donald Green, acting communications manager at Govan Mbeki Municipality, the plant is now fully functional and contractors are still on site only at those pump stations that were vandalised.
Green said the municipality is addressing the sewage spills problem in eMbalenhle.
This was the second cable theft case the municipality opened in eMbalenhle.
GMM also opened a case in June when electricity supply cables at the wastewater treatment works were stolen.
Govan Mbeki Municipality (GMM) is suing HWIBIDU security company for an estimated R5m for vandalism that occurred at the plant last year.
The municipality wanted the company to take responsibility for damages and theft of plant equipment but the security company demand that the municipality pay the money due to them and honour their service agreement so that they could pay bonuses to their employees.
