The City of Tshwane achieved another milestone when it handed over a new water supply system to the Clubview and Hennopspark areas in Centurion. These suburbs were plagued by frequent water disruptions caused by worn out asbestos cement pipes that recently needed to be replaced with plastic pipes.
The 75 mm asbestos cement pipes were installed in the mid-sixties and had reached their lifespan to an extent that they had become unfit for supplying water to the two suburbs. The City contracted a company that ensured the laying of plastic pipes which do not wear away or disintegrate easily. This replacement project unfolded within the set allocated period and allocated budget.
On handing over the completed project to the Region 4 management and councillors, MMC Darryl Moss remarked, “The replacement of asbestos cement pipes is an overdue project that was supposed to have been undertaken ages ago but as the Executive Mayor of Tshwane, Solly Msimanga, has repeatedly stated that bulk infrastructure maintenance was not a priority of the previous government and we are here now to clean up the mess they left.”
The completion of the first phase concentrated on the most critical sections of the water supply system which involved installing new plastic pipes along Tambotie, Olive, Maroela and Acacia Streets in Hennopspark as well as parts of Lyttelton Road, Von Willigh and Leyden streets in Clubview. This phase commenced in February this year and was completed in August at a cost of about R8 million (excluding vat).
Plans for the second phase are underway where work will continue at Lyttelton Road and Durham street in Clubview and portions of Witstinkhout, Mopanie and Blackwood Streets in Hennopspark.
According to MMC Moss, the new administration had identified Region 4 for water reticulation replacement due to the dolomitic ground formation and the possibility of sinkholes forming when water pipes leak in the area.
MMC Moss warned residents that Tshwane’s water supply from Rand Water is capped until around 2026 and that it is critical for a growing city like the Capital to safeguard against water losses. He urged residents to use water sparingly and reassured them that the City is putting strategies in place to address water loss by replacing pipes and attending to water leaks promptly.
Ga-Rankuwa and other areas are in line for a handover in the coming weeks.