The Rep 1 October 2021

4 Tel: (045) 839-4040 / editorial: mjekulal@therep.co.za / advertising: charodinev@therep.co.za 1 October 2021 THE R E P R ES E N TAT I V E
Dam levels steady but
ongoing infrastructure
vandalism a problem
STILL LEAKING
Theft causing supply issues, sewer spillages, costly repairs
HALF FULL: A recent photo of the Bonkolo Dam, which is now at more than 50% of its holding capacity
SUPPLIED
Picture:
NTSIKELELO QOYO
While the department of water
and sanitation is warning of a
decline in the province’s dam
levels, the Chris Hani region is holding
steady, however, vandalism of
infrastructure is a serious problem.
In a press statement this week, the
department said despite recent rains in
some parts of the province, there had
been little impact on water levels, which
had dropped from 50.5% last week to
50.2%.
Komani dams have held steady, with
Xonxa still at 95% and Bonkolo at 55%.
The Whittlesea dams are still low, with
Waterdown hovering at 21%, while
Oxkraal is at 30%. The Doornrivier
Dam at Indwe is at 90.88% and
Molteno’s Paradise Dam at 90%.
Chris Hani District Municipality
spokesperson, Bulelwa Ganyaza, said
the main concern regarding wa t e r
provision in the region was the
vandalism of infrastructure, which was
causing water supply shortages. “Th e
district is currently experiencing high
incidents of theft and vandalism of
water infrastructure which are targeted
by vandals.
“This has resulted in massive
infrastructure damage, prompting
unplanned water supply interruptions
and recurring sewer spillages.
“These incidents also leave
permanent damage and adversely affect
the municipality’s finances due to costly
replacements and repairs.
“Currently, we have an incident at
Who-Can-Tell, in Whittlesea, where
one of the boreholes was ransacked and
major elements removed.
“The district has made provision but
this is also not adequate as the area is
vast and demand is high. We have
experienced this at the Mlungisi pump
station where vandals also caused
destruction to the fence through forced
e n t r y,” she said.
The municipality requests anyone
who has information about these
incidents to report them on the care line
0800-100-100.
DOWN THE DRAIN: These Frost Street leaks were published by
The Rep in November last year and 10 months later, residents in
the area still say it is running water unabated. Chris Hani District
Municipality spokesperson Bulelwa Ganyaza said the leak had
been attended to and that the municipality was unaware that it
had resurfaced Picture: SUPPLIED
WHAT ARE YOU DOING FOR KOMANI?
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publish it.
It can be a cleaning campaign or pothole repair project.
Devastating fire causes damage to surrounding farms
ZINTLE BOBELO
A raging fire which swept through
Longhill on Thursday last week has left
a number of farmers calculating losses.
It was reported that farmers in the
Bonkolo area were alerted about the
blaze at about 4am on Thursday.
“This fire has caused about 6,000
hectares of veld damage, beside the
infrastructure damage that has also
been caused. Irrigation piping, stock
water piping, fencing. Fortunately no
buildings were burnt, thanks to the help
of firefighters and volunteers who came
to assist,” said local farmer Simon
Sutton.
According to Sutton, numerous
firebreaks had to be lit to try and stop
the spread. “Farmers and volunteers
normally use specialised blowers and
water pumps to contain veld fires.
“However, with the strong winds on
Thursday and the weekend, it was
almost impossible to contain this fire.”
Panic surged through the Top Town
area as residents feared the fire would
destroy their homes, especially those
close to the mountain. Enoch Mgijima
Local Municipality spokesperson
Lonwabo Kowa indicated that fire
fighters were dispatched and on site,
together with volunteers, to help
extinguish the blaze.
DESTROYED: A veld fire which erupted and engulfed Longhill on Thursday has caused damage to local
farmers Picture: SUPPLIED
“The fire was controlled. Top Town
residential area and the bigger part of
the Lawrence de Lange Game Reserve
were safe.” Kowa said the team burnt a
section of the grass as a fire controlling
t e ch n i q u e .
“This is called the back-burn and is
meant to ensure that the fire ceases
when it reaches the grass that is already
b u r n t ,” said Kowa as more volunteers
joined in the fight.
“The fire is presumed to have started
in the Zingquthu settlement as the
farmers there think the veld needs to be
burnt to stimulate new growth for the
coming season. However, this method
of yearly burning actually degenerates
the natural veld and is one of the
causes of soil erosion,” Sutton
highlighted.
“The fire was only completely
contained on Sunday evening. The last
I can remember a fire of this size was in
the mid 2000s. We have not had such a
fire in the last 10 to 15 years,” he said.
Komani Fire Protection Association
chairperson Peter Filmer said the
association was busy correlating
information so as to establish the
amount of damage caused. A meeting
was set to take place next week
Thursday following the incident.
Meanwhile farmers in Indwe
appealed to the municipality to
intervene after about 563 hectors of
grazing land was destroyed in a fire last
week Wednesday.
“A sheep and a lamb died. It was a
miracle that other livestock survived.
“There are about 200 cattle and 350
sheep without feed at the moment.
“We are trying to source help. These
fires have a negative impact because
there will be no production this year.
“We would appreciate all the help
we can get. We hope the government
will intervene because this is a
d i s a s t e r,” said Mthobeli Dintsi of Uitkyk
farm in Indwe.