The Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality has vowed to take tougher actions against contractors whose carelessness is resulting in extensive damage to council infrastructure while at the same time greatly inconveniencing residents and businesses.

Member of the Mayoral Committee responsible for Water, Sanitation and Energy, Councillor Aubrey Nxumalo said the municipality will uncompromisingly impose stiffer penalty tariff rates ranging from R20 000 to R150 000 excluding the costs of damages.

This comes after in a space of a week mistakes by contractors resulted in consumers in the Kempton Park and Alberton areas experiencing power outages as a result of contractors who damaged major cables while doing excavation work.

In a recent incident a contractor working in the Alberton area damaged five cables on Tuesday, 14 May resulting in Brakenhurst and Brakendowns and surrounding areas being without electricity supply for some hours. The same contractor again on Thursday, 16 May damaged a 33kV cable affecting even more suburbs.

“The same problem is experienced with water and sanitation pipes and it could be avoided if contractors were exercise some level of due diligence in carrying out their job,” said Councillor Nxumalo said.

Councillor Aubrey Nxumalo stated that contractors are given a wayleave, which is a documentation that not only grants permission for work to commence but also stipulates where cables are situated within that area where the work will be done.

“Before any excavations, contractors are given services plans (wayleave) that tell them what infrastructure is lying where? Without thorough consideration and inspection of these documents, a situation like what happened in Kempton Park, will occur again. We therefore call on all contractors to exercise due diligence,” he said.