Expect burst pipes in areas affected by this round of water cuts, as the city's water supply is restored during the next few days, municipal Manager Pravine Naidoo said this in a statement on Thursday 15 August.
Expect burst pipes in areas affected by this round of water cuts, as the city's water supply is restored during the next few days, municipal Manager Pravine Naidoo said this in a statement on Thursday 15 August.
He asked residents to report burst pipes in their areas and said plumbers were on standby to attend to the anticipated leaks. The statement followed the previous day's update in which the municipality renewed its promise to restore water to Grahamstown this week, but set a new target of Friday 16 August.
Wednesday's announcement was made shortly before a thousand-strong group of Rhodes staff and students and Makana residents marched to the city hall at lunchtime.
“After nine days without water we are really very angry,” said Rhodes Vice Chancellor Dr Saleem Badat at the march organised by the university administration.
“The academic project of this university is under threat and compromised.” Protesters carried banners and placards with slogans including “Makana municipality makes us sick… literally”. In a creative twist student Kelsey-Rae Lawrence, in bath towel and slippers, bore a placard saying, "I just want a shower".
Around a thousand demonstrators marched from the university’s administrative block to the city hall, where Badat handed an open letter to the Mayor.
The letter cited frustration over the water outage and the municipality's failure to communicate about it. Badat said the university pays the municipality over R2.5 million a month in rates and service charges. Like residents and other institutions in the municipality, he said, they expected the municipality to honour its responsibilities to the community.
Academics dressed in their regalia led the rally. They were followed by chanting students. “We are close to shutting down the university, because we cannot cope,” said Badat, as he presented the letter of protest to Mayor Zamuxolo Peter.
The letter has also been forwarded to the MEC of local government of the Eastern Cape, the Director General of Higher Education and Training, the Minister of Water Affairs and the Minister of Local Government. At the end of the march Badat addressed the crowd outside City Hall, emphasising that the protest was intended to the represent the whole of Grahamstown and not just the university.
Badat said Rhodes would be happy to assist the municipality in addressing the recurring problems.
“We stand ready to work with you around these kinds of issues, ready to put the expertise and knowledge of Rhodes University at the service of this town,” he said.
The university is increasingly worried about health problems that have started to surface due to the water shortages. Badat mentioned urinary tract infections and diarrhoea. “And laboratory practicals have to be suspended because of safety issues,” he said.
In response to the concerns, Mayor Peter said the municipality had been working around the clock, but that the replacement parts and skilled professionals to install them had to be flown in from Johannesburg.
“We are doing everything possible to save the situation,” said Peter.
According to reports, water had returned to all but 10 of the university’s 50 residences by Thursday morning.
Thursday's statement said the motor and pump electric panel system were functioning effectively and the next step would be to pump water from Howieson's Poort Dam to the Waainek Water Treatment Works.
There it had to be treated before being distributed to reservoirs around the city. The statement warned of possible "continuous bursting of water pipes as a result of existing air in the pipes especially in the areas that have experienced water outages".
Members of the public were advised to call the Fire Station at 046 603 6000 or 622 4444 or, during office hours, Customer Care at 080 111 4444.
"We humbly apologise for the inconvenience," Naidoo said.
