No power for retirement village
A water meter replacement gone wrong has left residents of a retirement village without power.
The residents of Bushy Park Retirement Village are facing a water and electricity crisis due to the City of Johannesburg’s (CoJ) botched replacement of a water meter in early June.
According to resident Alex Morrison, several calls were logged to Johannesburg Water and City Power (CP) the first time the pipe burst and caused the meter to trip, causing a power outage.
“The hole dug for the new meter remains unfilled, and the meter has burst open twice, flooding underground cables and surfacing in the driveway. The latest incident occurred on August 10, when water gushed out, damaging the cables and resulting in a power outage for 48 hours.
“The CoJ’s call centre’s unavailability has further exacerbated the situation, making it impossible to log an emergency call. To add insult to injury, CP’s response has been woefully inadequate. Their team arrived without tools to dig up the cable, and despite promises to return with a temporary solution, they never came back,” Morrison said.
Residents remain frustrated and have contacted their ward councillor for assistance, which prompted CP to take over, scheduling the digging of a trench and laying of a new cable.
“The gasket around the new meter has popped for the second time, raising concerns about the CoJ’s workmanship. The flanges were fitted with only four of eight bolts, which the CoJ deemed sufficient, further highlighting their lack of attention to detail,” Morrison added.
The Roodepoort Northsider has contacted JW and CP for comment. Spokesperson Issac Mangena mentioned that CP is currently in the process of repairing the damaged cable that caused a power supply interruption.
“The dispatched resource found that the cable was concealed under concrete and the surface was submerged in water. After JW drained the area, our team proceeded to assess damages, followed by a process of sourcing materials, which was difficult at the time because suppliers did not have the stock readily available.
“Contractors are preparing to clear away the concrete ahead of the repairs, and the power supply is expected to be restored soon,” Mangena added.
