This is according to acting city manager, Mzingisi Nkungwana, who confirmed Sunday night's incident to OFM News. How the burst pipe and the death of the BloemWater employee are linked is not yet clear at this stage.

Residents in the Southern suburbs of Bloemfontein might experience water interruptions as a pipe burst yet again, late last (Sunday) night. 

DA Councillor, Rossouw Botes explains to OFM News that it seems the pipe burst exactly where the Managung Metro Municipality had been working on it last week and over the weekend.

"It seems to have happened last night [Sunday] around 22:00. At this stage we are not sure about what happened but it is on the same spot that they were working on last week."

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Botes explains it remains a mystery to what could have caused the water pipe to burst again. OFM News is awaiting answers from the Metro.

OFM News previously reported that by Sunday morning, residents in Bloemfontein and surrounding areas were still without water, despite assurances by the Mangaung Metro that water supply would be restored by Saturday afternoon.

Affected areas in Bloemfontein specifically are Lourierpark, Pellissier, Bayswater, Pentagon Park, Heuwelsig, Westdene and parts of the city’s central business district (CBD). 

On Saturday, OFM News reported that Mangaung had managed to complete maintenance work and repair a burst pipe at the Welbedacht and Maselspoort pipelines respectively.

The Pellissier suburb and surrounding areas were the first to be affected at the top of the workweek when the Welbedacht pipeline underwent maintenance which left the Brandkop reservoir empty, and residents without water.

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On Thursday, a burst was reported along the Maselspoort pipeline that affected Bayswater, Pentagon Park, Heuwelsig, Westdene and parts of the city’s CBD.

Mangaung, which services the Free State capital as well as Botshabelo, Thaba’ Nchu, Dewetsdorp, Soutpan and Wepener, says residential debt to the metro amounts to over R4.5 billion and business debt is at over R1 billion. 

The metro, via its spokesperson, Qondile Khedama, has also recently claimed that vandalism of water infrastructure is to blame for some of their woes. This follows after such an incident was reported at a Thaba’ Nchu, reservoir involving two suspects.

OFM News