Chronic water leak plagues D6 residents
A chronic water leak poses a safety hazard at District Six’s Hanover Street complex, say residents.
Water has been leaking from under the paving on the corner of Ashley and Richmond streets for seven months, says District Six Phase Three Block Watch chairperson Jeff Alexander.
The complex is home to District Six claimants who received restitution from the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Reform. The claimants have been living here for over two-and-a-half years, but the department still owns the property.
Mr Alexander said the leak had been reported to the department and a contractor had come out a month ago to assess the damage, followed, two weeks ago, but a government representative, but the problem persisted.
Mr Alexander said residents had started noticing damage caused by the leak about four months ago.
“The paving is sagging, there is erosion under the paving, the leak is causing a sink hole and we are concerned that the nearby apartment’s foundation may get damaged by the leak,” he said.
The residents have now cordoned off the area with warning tape.
“It feels like we are left to our own devices and we must resolve this matter ourselves,” said Noor Salie, from the District Six Phase Three steering committee.
Residents had sent several emails to the department about the problem, he said.
The department’s spokesperson, Linda Page, said the leak was caused by the theft of copper pipes.
“The department has procured a service provider to do the repairs, which should commence and be completed in the next few weeks, and the water leak will stop,” she said.
The department remained responsible for the complex pending the conclusion of the transfer to the claimants, she said.
Cape Central Police station commander Colonel Natasha Thomas confirmed that a case of copper theft at the complex had been reported on Wednesday February 28. The theft had occurred at 3.45am and two men, aged 26 and 35, had been arrested that same morning in connection with it
Mayoral committee member for water and sanitation Zahid Badroodien said the complex was supplied by a bulk water meter and that was the “last point of accountability for the City” as the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Reform was responsible for all internal pipework and repairs to the water pipes, and water that passed through the meter would be billed to the department.
In October last year, residents of the complex complained about a number of building snags including burst pipes, mouldy walls and unlit stairways (“Building snags dog returning D6 claimants,” Southern Suburbs Tatler, October 19, 2023).
