Durban — A man has been arrested for damaging a pipeline after trying to connect water illegally.
The damage to the water pipeline resulted in the interruption of water supply in Lamontville, Durban south.
In a statement, the eThekwini Municipality said that a man who was caught damaging the City’s water pipeline while illegally connecting a property has been arrested.
The municipality stated that the man was arrested after a case for infrastructure damage was opened with the police.
Water and Sanitation acting head Msizi Shabalala stated that the incident caused major damage to infrastructure.
“His conduct caused inconvenience to an entire community who are now left without water while we are working on the repair. We have zero tolerance against illegal connections and will continue to take a hard stance against perpetrators,” Shabalala said.
Additionally, Shabalala warned the public against encroachment.
“Encroachment hampers the process of undertaking maintenance work. The structure which he was trying to illegally connect to encroached on our pipeline servitude. This is a risk to human life and property, should the pipes burst,” Shabalala said.
He also urged the public to look for marker poles painted in orange and yellow for bulk pipelines and blue only for reticulation pipelines.
The man’s arrest comes after an Ugu District Municipality resident was handed a 15-year prison sentence for sabotaging critical water supply infrastructure.
Fezile Bho Zama was sentenced to 15 years in prison for housebreaking with the intent to steal and theft.
According to the Ugu District Municipality, Zama was found guilty of vandalising the Ezinqoleni Water Pump Station, where he stole two water pumps and copper cables, thereby disrupting the water supply to local communities.
Zama was apprehended in the Murchison area and made several appearances before the Ezinqoleni Magistrate’s Court before pleading guilty to all charges on November 29, 2024. The case was postponed to December 10, 2024, when he was sentenced.
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