Durban -
Thousands of litres of water have been gushing from a burst pipe in Isipingo Beach since Sunday, infuriating residents who fear ratepayers will ultimately foot the bill.
But that’s not their main concern.
Resident Roy Mahadeo said the water had been pouring out over exposed illegal electricity wires, posing a danger for children who walk on the road.
The gushing pipe is just metres from an informal settlement on the hills of Isipingo Beach, bordering the Prospecton industrial area.
“We are really worried about this because we have reported it and the contractor, presumably called in by the municipality, came here on Monday, had a look and told us that the job was too big for them and that the municipality must sort it out,” said Mahadeo.
“Look at the wastage that is taking place here. Water is very expensive and it is just being wasted. Who will pay for the cost of the wastage? At the end of the day, we know it will be us.”
Mahadeo, who lives in a three-bedroom house near the multitude of shacks, said he frequently had to report the illegal electricity connections to the dwellings because they affected him.
He said he paid about R1 900 a month for electricity and wondered whether it was so high because he was unwittingly subsiding others.
Mahadeo said there was little the eThekwini Municipality could do to prevent the shack dwellers making illegal connections because they always found a way to break the locks of the electricity boxes after their supply had been disconnected.
“It is like a game of cat and mouse. Every time the municipality comes to fix the electricity, they will find a way to connect it again,” he said pointing to a vandalised supply box that had its lock broken.
“But right now, I am more concerned about the exposed wire because the children will want to play in the water. I am worried that someone’s child - my child, your child - can be hurt here.
“The children walk past here when they go to school,” he said.
“This must be fixed.”
Municipality spokesman, Thabo Mofokeng, said people were encouraged to report leaks and burst pipes to the city’s call centre.
The matter of the burst pipe would be investigated, he said, adding that illegal electricity connections presented an enormous challenge.
“But whether the wire is exposed to water or not, the people are not safe in any case. We encourage people not to make use of illegally connected electricity,” Mofokeng said.
Daily News