Mpumalanga water plant operator is facing disciplinary action for allegedly failing to open water for Hazyview residents because he was too drunk to report for duty for an entire weekend.
On Monday, Mbombela local municipality spokesman Joseph Ngala said internal disciplinary processes were instituted against the technician after the matter came before the municipal council last week.
"Yes I can confirm that the official who was tasked with opening water for the public in Hazyview failed to do so for the whole weekend (between October 2 and 4). We learnt during a council meeting last week that the municipal manager has since intervened and placed another water plant operator in the Hazyview area. However, the official is now facing disciplinary action following the dry taps that were a result of his behaviour," said Ngala.
Ngala said the Hazyview area has water pump problems that require water to be opened in turns for different areas at a time.
"We had a schedule to share the opening of the water with the other villages and towns. However, the water plant operator's actions led to total water shortage. As the municipality we would like to apologise for the ordeal," he said.
He added that water shortages are experienced as water levels go down, especially when there is a heat wave in a particular area.
Water problems have also affected areas such as Nkomazi near the Swazi and Mozambican border.
"It's worse, our water levels have dropped. We tried to dig a dam in Malalane, but the pumps in Crocodile River (Mgwenya) are not reaching water. As the heat wave sticks around we are going to a state where water is going to be a not available at all. We just pray that God gives us rain," said Nkomazi local municipality spokesman Cyril Ripinga.
- African Eye News Service
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