An informal settlement was plunged into chaos on Saturday when protesting residents allegedly vandalised a drain valve connected to Cape Town's water main, flooding 20 low-lying homes and parked cars.
The trouble started in the Thabo Mbeki settlement between Crossroads and Khayelitsha late on Saturday afternoon, when the damaged valve burst, spurting water metres into the air.
City of Cape Town Disaster Risk Management spokesman Wilfred Solomons-Johannes said senior personnel - including relief teams - were sent to fix the pipe and help residents who were desperately trying to save furniture and appliances from the rising water. But they were withdrawn because residents had become "volatile and riotous".
He alleged that angry individuals protesting against poor service delivery had deliberately vandalised the drain valve.
"I personally deployed senior personnel to address the problem," said Solomons-Johannes.
"On investigation, we found that members of the community had vandalised the pipe, so this is a self-inflicted situation.
"The city is led to believe that the vandalism is a result of service delivery issues, and this is a means of protest."
He said the city was forced to deploy Metro Police and law enforcement officials "to bring the situation under control".
"We have withdrawn all essential services from the area because we cannot put the lives of our personnel at risk."
The damaged drain valve was connected to a main water pipeline that supplies Cape Town's suburbs. The leak was controlled before personnel were withdrawn from the area.
Residents, however, offered a different story. They claimed the pipe had been giving problems for several weeks, and that it had finally burst on Saturday.
A few community members were seen cheering and lighting small fires in the settlement in protest; however, those whose houses had been flooded were furious.
Charles Phakathi, a Thabo Mbeki settlement resident, said he had heard rumours about individuals damaging the pipe.
But he claimed the pipe had been leaking for about two months, and that water had been seeping into his house.
"This has been a cold winter, and there is always water on my floor," he said. "I have had to take my shoes off every time I have gone into my house."
When he arrived home from work at 5pm yesterday, he found his house was flooded to a depth of about 35cm, ruining many of his belongings.
Cars that were parked in the area were also flooded.
"We complained to the council two months ago, and they said they were busy fixing it. Then, it burst," he said. "No one can move anything. We need to swim to get anything out."
Madzanakazi Mbavangwe, said she had nowhere to take her six-month-old son.
"I have to stand outside in the cold with my young baby," she complained angrily. "Everything I owned is in there. I couldn't get anything out. When it happened, I was at my neighbours, and I heard someone shouting: 'There's water coming.'
"When I saw the water, it was coming so fast, I didn't try to get anything out of my house. I just ran for safety with my baby on my back."
The city's water and sanitation spokesman, Farouk Robertson, said the water supply to other areas had not been affected.
However, they had not had a proper chance to fix the pipe because they were waiting for calm to be restored.
"It's not just fixing the pipe - it's a mop-up too. We'll get a team in there as soon as the unrest subsides," Robertson said.
- Cape Argus
The trouble started in the Thabo Mbeki settlement between Crossroads and Khayelitsha late on Saturday afternoon, when the damaged valve burst, spurting water metres into the air.
City of Cape Town Disaster Risk Management spokesman Wilfred Solomons-Johannes said senior personnel - including relief teams - were sent to fix the pipe and help residents who were desperately trying to save furniture and appliances from the rising water. But they were withdrawn because residents had become "volatile and riotous".
He alleged that angry individuals protesting against poor service delivery had deliberately vandalised the drain valve.
"I personally deployed senior personnel to address the problem," said Solomons-Johannes.
"On investigation, we found that members of the community had vandalised the pipe, so this is a self-inflicted situation.
"The city is led to believe that the vandalism is a result of service delivery issues, and this is a means of protest."
He said the city was forced to deploy Metro Police and law enforcement officials "to bring the situation under control".
"We have withdrawn all essential services from the area because we cannot put the lives of our personnel at risk."
The damaged drain valve was connected to a main water pipeline that supplies Cape Town's suburbs. The leak was controlled before personnel were withdrawn from the area.
Residents, however, offered a different story. They claimed the pipe had been giving problems for several weeks, and that it had finally burst on Saturday.
A few community members were seen cheering and lighting small fires in the settlement in protest; however, those whose houses had been flooded were furious.
Charles Phakathi, a Thabo Mbeki settlement resident, said he had heard rumours about individuals damaging the pipe.
But he claimed the pipe had been leaking for about two months, and that water had been seeping into his house.
"This has been a cold winter, and there is always water on my floor," he said. "I have had to take my shoes off every time I have gone into my house."
When he arrived home from work at 5pm yesterday, he found his house was flooded to a depth of about 35cm, ruining many of his belongings.
Cars that were parked in the area were also flooded.
"We complained to the council two months ago, and they said they were busy fixing it. Then, it burst," he said. "No one can move anything. We need to swim to get anything out."
Madzanakazi Mbavangwe, said she had nowhere to take her six-month-old son.
"I have to stand outside in the cold with my young baby," she complained angrily. "Everything I owned is in there. I couldn't get anything out. When it happened, I was at my neighbours, and I heard someone shouting: 'There's water coming.'
"When I saw the water, it was coming so fast, I didn't try to get anything out of my house. I just ran for safety with my baby on my back."
The city's water and sanitation spokesman, Farouk Robertson, said the water supply to other areas had not been affected.
However, they had not had a proper chance to fix the pipe because they were waiting for calm to be restored.
"It's not just fixing the pipe - it's a mop-up too. We'll get a team in there as soon as the unrest subsides," Robertson said.
- Cape Argus
1 comment:
At the time of this burst, blackheath resevior water services employees were busy fixing another pipe burst that occured between Tambo Village and Klipfontein road in Manenberg. Houses were also left with cracks on the wall and dempness.
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