Grahamstown Ostrich Abbatoir (GOA) and Integrated Meat Processors of the Eastern Cape (Impec) recently had no water for over a week due to a burst pipe in the Waainek water line.
According to Impec manager Werner Raubenheimer, this could have devastating consequences for their businesses as well as for Grahamstown.
Grahamstown Ostrich Abbatoir (GOA) and Integrated Meat Processors of the Eastern Cape (Impec) recently had no water for over a week due to a burst pipe in the Waainek water line.
According to Impec manager Werner Raubenheimer, this could have devastating consequences for their businesses as well as for Grahamstown.
GOA manager Gerrie Botha says in order for GOA and Impec to export their products to the European Union (EU), they have to meet EU hygiene standards.
Without water however, GOA and Impec cannot meet these standards because they are unable to wash the inside of the buildings and sanitise their equipment.
Raubenheimer says if GOA and Impec lose their EU export status, they will be blacklisted and will have no option but to close down as it will no longer be economically viable to stay open.
He said Grahamstown’s economy will also suffer if the businesses close and that more than 50 people will lose their jobs.
"The situation is extremely bad," says Botha. "I’m absolutely annoyed, to say the least." According to municipal spokesperson Thandy Matebese, the municipality could not fix the problem immediately because they had to wait for a vacuum jacketed pipe joint from Durban.
The part arrived on Wednesday and tests were conducted on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning to ensure the problem had been fixed. On Thursday afternoon, GOA and Impec had their water supply restored.
According to Raubenheimer however, the recent water outage isn’t the only problem the businesses have had regarding water supply in Grahamstown.
Both GOA and Impec have had to install chlorination plants and filters to ensure that the water they use meets European Union (EU) standards.
Raubenheimer says the bacteria in the water is so bad that they have been advised to upgrade their systems by March next year.
Botha and Raubenheimer are concerned about how Makana Municipality have handled the water outage.
"No one from council has had the decency to call us to tell us what’s happening," says Botha. "And trying to speak to an official is like trying to fly to the moon."
Raubenheimer says he repeatedly tried phoning the municipality to find out what was happening. Whenever he phoned though, he either got the answering machine or someone who couldn’t answer his questions.
Botha and Raubenheimer say they have yet to receive any communication from Makana Municipality about the burst pipe and subsequent water problems.
"It’s totally unacceptable," says Botha. "It’s about time they speak to us." Matebese says the municipality usually notifies people when there are water outages and that they try be proactive by distributing information through notices, the local radio station, Grocott’s Mail, and loudhailing.
He acknowledges however, that the municipality did not communicate with businesses in the industrial area regarding the recent water problems.
"In this instance unfortunately, we didn’t communicate with them," says Matebese. "We apologise for the inconvenience."
