Mashaba calls for patience as water repairs continue
Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba has called for patience from residents living in suburbs experiencing water cuts.
Mashaba visited the Linbro Park Water Plant near Sandton on Thursday, where technicians are working to repair a burst water pipe.
"We discovered a massive water pipe burst on Sunday. Our residents have been without water for 3 days, but fortunate enough last night we started opening the pipes to fill up some of the reservoirs. However we still sit with a massive challenge of fixing leaks that were discovered," said Mashaba.
He said the current water woes in some suburbs in the north is due to the city's massive infrastructure backlog.
"A few weeks ago I shared with the residents about the question of infrastructure backlog in the city. This relates to water, electricity and our roads. This incident is as a result of what I shared with them. Imagine when you have water pipes and over the years you have landfill sites over them. Instead of having 2-3 meters deep to get to the pipe, it was close to 40 meters, because they have been filling this infrastructure with refuse."
Mashaba believes the previous ANC-led administration in Joburg needs to take the blame for the current situation.
The mayor was not able to give a definitive timeline as to when all taps will have water again, but said technicians will work through the night to fix the problems.