PICS: Manenberg pool party!
BALJAAR: Kids in Manenberg made the most of a pipe burst BALJAAR: Kids in Manenberg made the most of a pipe burst
Manenberg mense had a pool party on Wednesday night after a pipe burst caused water to gush into their street.
Shortly after 4pm, residents heard a loud bang as the pavement collapsed and water came spurting into Irvine Street.
While some residents were left without water, others only experienced a drop in pressure.
Resident Jerome Dodson, 36, says he was sitting on a street corner at the time and got a moerse skrik.
“Ons het net hier gesit en toe sien ons die ding bars. Ek dink daar was baie water onder die grond en dit het net orals gespat,” he explains.
Residents say they called the City of Cape Town immediately as they were worried about water being wasted, but the children wasted no time in getting undressed and splashing around in the dam forming in the street.
SPLASHING: Kids thought they'd give free car washes
When the Daily Voice arrived in Manenberg shortly after 6pm, the pool party was in full swing as yelling kids splashed around in knee-deep water.
A group of enterprising young boys collected buckets and old coffee containers and “offered” free car washes to passing motorists.
Each time a car passed the water leak, the laughing boys threw buckets of water onto the vehicles of unsuspecting motorists.
Not everyone appreciated the car wash and one motorist, whose window was rolled down, skelled: “Vir wat gaan julle so aan? Nee, julle gooi water in my venster.”
One boy replied: “Moenie so wies nie meneer, dit is mos ’n free car wash en daar is mossie water innie Kaap nie.”
STOMP: It was fun times in Irvine Street on Wednesday
Mom Devina September, 38, says after the burst, they noticed a drop in water pressure at home, but she didn’t mind because she now had free water for her garden.
“It has been bad with the water restrictions, I had to remove my rose bush. I also lekker filled bottles of water for my child’s school project because they must take grey water to school to help save.”
Residents woke up yesterday morning to find the leak repaired and the hole in the road filled with sand.
Mayco Member for Informal Settlements, Water and Waste Services; and Energy, Xanthea Limberg, says the leak was caused by a longitudinal crack.
SWIMMING: Some laaities even got down for a dip in water
Repairs to the road are under way and will include backfilling and compacting of the road surface.
Asked why water is not shut off during incidents like these, Limberg said: “First-level responders will assess the situation and, if possible, fix the leak. For more serious pipe bursts, they will switch the water supply off at the mains before calling in a specialist team.”