Parts of Joburg brave dry taps, stench from uncollected waste

By Mandisa Ndlovu and Yvonne Grimbeek

Large parts of Johannesburg went without water and refuse collection this week – a result of power failures at pumping stations and a strike by casual workers at Pikitup.

At Rand Water’s Zuikerbosch plant, an internal power failure resulted in little to no pumping into Johannesburg’s water supply system. This was shortly after emergency repair work had to be carried out on a critical pump at the Palmiet pumping station.

The Palmiet station underwent major repairs and renovations in December last year, including refurbishment by Eskom.

The combination of both these issues meant that pumping to the Palmiet, Eikenhof and Zwartkopjes pump stations was significantly reduced, leaving residents from Melville to Midrand, Kyalami to Kensington without water.

Rand Water said in a statement that the power failure occurred at 2pm on Tuesday in Engine Room 4, resulting in a temporary shutdown until 6.30 pm when pumping resumed at 85% capacity.

The Rand Water repairs and power failure impact led to several Johannesburg water supply systems being in critical condition by noon on Wednesday. (subs, 28 Jan).

Alexander Park Reservoir, Berea Reservoir, Bryanston Tower, Randjieslaagte, Erand Reservoir, Rabie Ridge Reservoir, Rabie Ridge Tower, President Park Reservoir and South Hills tower were critically low, and Johannesburg Water said no water was expected.

Yeoville Reservoir, Aeroton Tower, Robertville Reservoir, Ennerdale Reservoir, Lawley Reservoir, Lenasia High Level Reservoir, Illovo Reservoir, Illovo Tower, Bryanston Reservoir, Morningside Reservoir, Linbro Park Reservoir, Linbro direct feeds, Marlboro Reservoir, Marlboro direct feeds, Grand Central Reservoir, Grand Central Tower, and Diepsloot Reservoir were supplying, but JW warned that low pressure to no water was to be expected. The Brixton Reservoir was declining.

Orange Farm Reservoir was closed at noon on Wednesday. The Naturena Reservoir was closed overnight.

The Palmiet problems also led to parts of Ekurhuleni and Tshwane experiencing water outages.

On Wednesday afternoon, JW said that operations at Palmiet had resumed.

“At the time of the incident (power failure), pumping at Palmiet was already operating at a reduced capacity due to ongoing emergency valve replacement work. The system is currently operating at reduced capacity, which continues to impact pumping to booster stations,” the JW statement said.

SMELLY GARBAGE EVERYWHERE

Ongoing industrial action by casual Pikitup employees has resulted in refuse collection trucks being blockaded at depots, preventing them from leaving to service communities. As a result, refuse has gone uncollected across large parts of the city, leaving streets littered with waste and residents increasingly resorting to illegal dumping.

In Midrand and Kyalami, refuse was not collected on Monday and Tuesday, with workers only returning to work on Wednesday morning.

In Diepsloot, a refuse truck and recycling truck were set alight on Tuesday evening. However, Pikitup had not responded to queries at the time of going to publication.

Workers at the Randburg Pikitup depot have been on strike for more than a week.

In a statement issued on Tuesday (subs 27/1), DA shadow MMC for infrastructure Tyrell Meyers, and DA Johannesburg Ward 124 Councillor, Matsobane Sekhu, said the continued deterioration of services at the City’s waste management entity had “spiralled completely out of control”.

They attributed the crisis to poor governance, failure to manage labour relations and the collapse of key waste disposal infrastructure.

The DA warned that the situation posed serious environmental and public health risks, particularly as summer heat accelerates the spread of disease.

Meyers said the delays in formally integrating informal waste reclaimers into the city’s waste management system, despite their critical role in diverting up to 90% of recyclables from landfill sites, have further reduced Johannesburg’s ability to cope with disruptions.

Speaking to OCN, Ward 94 DA councillor, David Foley, said the impact of the strike and service disruptions was being felt sharply in Midrand.

“Midrand management has reported that services are resuming, but there has been no confirmation from my residents yet,” Foley said.

He added that while Pikitup has previously managed to recover from disruptions, clearing backlogs can take several days. “When they start, it usually takes about two to three days to catch up.”

Foley said Ward 94 is serviced by three depots — Randburg, Marlboro and Midrand — with strike action spreading over time.

“Only Randburg was affected last week, but the other two depots followed suit on Monday,” he said. “Residents have complained about the smell, the flies, and demands for refunds for services not delivered, while large residential complexes have had to hire private contractors at high cost.”

He added that: “It all comes down to negotiation and effective management. My concern is that if depot gates were blocked during an unprotected strike, JMPD and SAPS should have been called in to assist.

This story was produced by Our City News, a non-profit newsroom that serves the people of Johannesburg.