Rand Water commence infrastructure maintenance to enhance system efficiency

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Rand Water has announced that it will commence its next planned infrastructure maintenance project on Friday, 13 December.

This follows the successful completion of the J10 pipeline leak repair, finalised on Friday, 6 December.

According to the water entity, the maintenance project is designed to enhance system availability, reliability, and efficiency.

Spokesperson Makenosi Maroo said the maintenance work namely pumping which will be reduced to 70% for 36 hours and pumping that will be reduced to 20% for 86 hours is typically scheduled during periods of low demand.

She cited repairs of pipeline leak at Zuikerbosch system and flexibility project Eikenhof respectively.

“December is particularly suitable for such work due to the closure of industries and by extension, the temporary depopulation of Gauteng province as residents travel for holidays.

Quick system recovery upon maintenance completion

“This timing also allows for quicker system recovery once the maintenance is completed. In accordance with its commitment to transparency and operational excellence, Rand Water has issued a 21-day notice to all affected municipal customers and industries.

“This notice is intended to provide the municipalities adequate time to implement contingency measures to minimise possible disruptions to consumers,” she stated.

Meanwhile, spaza shop owners and food-handling facilities have until the end of the week to register their businesses for a traders’ permit, in a bid to address the recurring foodborne illnesses that have claimed the lives of people, including children, across the country.   

Spaza shop owners and vendors have been given until Friday, 13 December, to register with their respective municipalities. The registration period opened on 15 November. 

Last month, president Cyril Ramaphosa directed all spaza shops and food-handling facilities to register with their respective municipalities as part of decisive measures by government to address the recurring foodborne illnesses that have claimed the lives of people, including children, across the country.   

The interventions, the president explained, are aimed at getting hazardous pesticides off the street, protecting children from exposure to these substances, and preventing future outbreaks.

More than 1 000 spaza shops, supermarkets and warehouses have been closed since the president announced a range of measures to prevent further incidents of foodborne illnesses.

“Since we announced a range of measures two weeks ago, multi-disciplinary teams have been conducting inspections of spaza shops across the country.

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“Nearly 200 000 spaza shops have been visited. More than 1 000 spaza shops, supermarkets and warehouses have been closed down.

“Large quantities of goods have been confiscated and numerous fines have been issued for violations of by-laws,” the president said during his annual address to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) in Parliament, on 28 November.