Long-serving staff member Superintendent Geoffrey Hector made his final contribution to Cape Town this weekend after 39 years of service. He was part of the City’s Water and Sanitation team who, after an approximately 72-hour operation this weekend, successfully connected the 1500mm Blackheath bulk water main to a newly constructed 100 meter length pipeline in Belhar Road. This upgrade will ensure continued water supply to the Blue Downs and Kuils River areas.
Even on the brink of retirement, Superintendent Geoffrey Hector remains passionate about his work. Mr Hector was busy this weekend, helping to ensure that a major three-day operation was successfully completed, and the impact to residents was minimised as far as possible.
Belhar Road in Highbury is being widened to improve road safety, reducing motor vehicle accidents and traffic congestion. To support this vital road upgrade, the water supply infrastructure running diagonally across the road also required realignment. A 100m pipeline was planned and constructed in anticipation of these roadworks previously, and work to connect it to the 1500mm Blackheath bulk water main was carried out this weekend.
Work started on Friday, 28 May and continued until completion on Monday, 31 May. During this time, residents in the Blue Downs and Kuils River areas experienced low water pressure or disruption to their water supply during the shutdown, particularly the high-lying areas of Sarepta and Highbury.
The following areas were affected: Dennemere, Austinville, Blackheath Industrial, Happy Valley, Summerville, Hagley, Saxenburg, Ou Nooiensfontein, Nuwe Nooiensfontein, Dannarand, Sarepta, Kalkfontein, Highbury, Voelvlei, Mabille Park and Wesbank. The operation took a bit longer than anticipated as the team needed to ensure large volumes of trapped air could be expelled from the pipeline before it was brought back into service
Hector was part of the team who played an integral role in monitoring the water pressure in the areas as well as co-ordinating the water trucks servicing the areas during the operation.
‘I am passionate about what I am doing and I am happy to serve the public. I feel nostalgic as I started with a bang in 1982, dealing with a burst pipe on my first day, which was a similar operation to what I managed over this weekend, which was just on a larger scale. The work has been very exciting, but I could not have done it without the cooperation and support of my staff. They were magic.
‘Over the years, I have been afforded great experiences, challenges and opportunities at the City, far too many to encapsulate in a few words, and for that I am truly thankful and immensely grateful to all who have contributed to my career.
‘So now a new beginning for me, a new journey starts. It will, without a doubt, be a challenging transition for me as my career has been an enormous passion of mine. I plan to move to the West Coast. I am buying a boat and intend to spend my time fishing, golfing and travelling with my family,’ said Hector, who retired on Monday, 31 May.
The City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Waste Alderman Xanthea Limberg thanked the staff, including Hector, for their efforts this weekend.
‘A big thank you to our Water and Sanitation teams for successfully completing the upgrade to the water infrastructure in this area and ensuring that the impact to our residents was minimised. This has been a massive operation and required all hands on deck.
‘I also want to convey a special thank you to Mr Hector for his 39 years of service to Cape Town and we wish him all the best with his retirement as he enters a new season of his life.
‘Thank you also to our residents for their patience while this work was carried out. The City regrets any inconvenience associated with the reduced water pressure and supply, but it is important that such maintenance is attended to timeously, to ensure sustained stability of the water supply.
‘The City remains committed to minimising water losses due to leaks, while ensuring a stable water supply. Cape Town’s water loss rate remains the lowest in the country, and we will continue to invest in our infrastructure to further improve wherever possible, as we strive to fulfil the commitments in the Water Strategy and become a water sensitive city by 2040. A water sensitive city optimises and integrates the management of water resources to improve resilience, competitiveness, and liveability for the prosperity of its people,’ said Alderman Xanthea Limberg, Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Waste.
Source: City Of Cape Town