WATCH | Joburg entities work flat out to repair Bree Street, restore power and water

A team made up of Pikitup, Joburg Water, City Power, Johannesburg Road Agency (JRA) and the City of Johannesburg are working around the clock to repair the ruptured Bree Street.

The team has been hard at work since an underground explosion killed one person and injured 48 others. It was so powerful that vehicles were thrown into the air  and the tarmac and nearby buildings were damaged.

By Tuesday afternoon power had been restored after the Bree Substation was repaired.

Pikitup sent a team to collect waste that had been dumped illegally while Johannesburg Water was excavating a section of the street to attend to the damaged water and sewer pipes.

Johannesburg city manager Floyd Brink and officials from the different entities went on a sixth inspection after getting clearance from the JRA and technical teams to start excavating and doing repairs.

Brink said CCTV cameras helped in finding and inspecting the sewer lines and infrastructure damage.

“As things stand, the reports that I have received and the site visits that we have done all seem to be in order. We are happy with the progress and the teams are doing well. Again, last night, our teams worked right around the clock to ensure that they were able to declare the area safe.”

City Power technicians worked overnight to restore power after getting safety clearance from the emergency services, the disaster management team and the labour department.

“The gas levels were also cleared. City Power teams will remain on site working with other municipal entities to ensure safety as the teams restore more services,” City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said.