A suspect in possession of copper pipes was arrested in a nearby suburb.
“The damage has been done, and despite repeated calls for increased security at all national key points, little progress has been made.
“Though teams have managed to bring Tongaat Water Works back online, many areas will experience outages as the system recovers,” she said.
eThekwini municipal spokesperson Lindiwe Khuzwayo confirmed the theft.
“The city can confirm the incident, where one man cut a portion of the fence at the Tongaat Water Works and stole some copper pipes. He absconded after our security personnel at the facility saw him and tried to apprehend him.”
Khuzwayo said copper theft was a serious issue in communities.
“We urge all citizens to demonstrate civic pride and a sense of co-ownership of resources and assets by reporting any information they may have on these incidents in their community.
“Acts of vandalism and theft in our communities cannot be addressed by the municipality and police alone. They require vigilance from us as community members and we must not look away when we know that our relatives, neighbours and friends are involved in these illicit activities.”
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Copper pipes stolen from Tongaat Water Works
Image: supplied
Brazen thieves cut the steel fencing around Tongaat Water Works, north of Durban, to steal copper pipes during the early hours of Tuesday.
DA eThekwini executive committee member Yogis Govender has called for the municipality to account for the theft at the guarded infrastructure.
“It is alleged that criminals broke into Tongaat Water Works by cutting though the steel fence. This cut off the water supply to the chemical dosing system in the early hours”
She said the theft occurred exactly a year after flooding, destroyed the majority of the plant.
“The facility, which cost close to R40m to repair, appears to have a security team that is either inept or careless.”
“As the DA, we have asked EWS [Ethekwini Water and Sanitation] management to look into why on-site security was unable to detect or intercept the break-in,” Govender said.
Parts of Tshwane without water for eight hours as Rand Water repairs leaks
A suspect in possession of copper pipes was arrested in a nearby suburb.
“The damage has been done, and despite repeated calls for increased security at all national key points, little progress has been made.
“Though teams have managed to bring Tongaat Water Works back online, many areas will experience outages as the system recovers,” she said.
eThekwini municipal spokesperson Lindiwe Khuzwayo confirmed the theft.
“The city can confirm the incident, where one man cut a portion of the fence at the Tongaat Water Works and stole some copper pipes. He absconded after our security personnel at the facility saw him and tried to apprehend him.”
Khuzwayo said copper theft was a serious issue in communities.
“We urge all citizens to demonstrate civic pride and a sense of co-ownership of resources and assets by reporting any information they may have on these incidents in their community.
“Acts of vandalism and theft in our communities cannot be addressed by the municipality and police alone. They require vigilance from us as community members and we must not look away when we know that our relatives, neighbours and friends are involved in these illicit activities.”
TimesLIVE
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
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