A pipeline in Athlone Park north of Durban collapsed on Friday morning following an act of vandalism.

According to the eThekwini Municipality thieves stole the brackets of the 375mm steel water pipeline.

Areas without water supply include Athlone Park, Galleria Shopping Mall, some parts of Orient Hills and the industrial area surrounding the mall.

The municipality dispatched water tankers to the affected areas on Friday to ensure that they have access to water.

Technical bulk teams are on site and an emergency order was placed to an external supplier to restore water supply.

On Friday afternoon the municipality could not say when water would be restored as its officials were still on site attending to the issue.

In a statement issued to the media the municipality condemned acts of vandalism and theft which have a crippling effect on the municipality’s ability to fulfil its mandate.

“Acts of vandalism taking place in our communities cannot be addressed by the Municipality and police alone.”They require vigilance from us as community members and we must not look away when we know that our relatives, neighbours and friends are involved in damaging Council property,” the statement said.

The Municipality also urged residents to continue reporting illegal water connections, vandalism or theft of Municipal infrastructure.