Centlec spokesperson, Lele Mamatu, confirms the cable that supplies electricity to the local pump station is faulty. This means domestic water is unable to be pumped into homes in the suburb located in the north of Bloemfontein. 

Mamatu says their teams have been working on this cable since yesterday and could not switch it back on because of a plethora of faults they picked up when testing the same cable. 

Mangaung Metro’s power utility has now resorted to other measures to ensure there is electricity at the local pump station. “They have decided to install a temporary supply using an overhead conductor to supply the water pump station,” says Mamatu.

There is no indication as to when the suburb will start receiving water again. Mangaung Metro spokesperson, Qondile Khedama, tells OFM News they have dispatched a water tanker Spar in Heuwelsig.

Meanwhile, President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared a state of national disaster as confirmed coronavirus infections in the country have risen to 61. 

Ramaphosa went on to urge South Africans to wash their hands regularly according to the World Health Organisation stipulations for a period of 20 seconds. 

This has turned the attention to areas in the country, notably Qwaqwa in the Eastern Free State, that are without water.

OFM News