Businesses disrupted as City tackles major pipe burst at Durbanville shopping mall

City water and sanitation teams were working to repair the burst pipe which affected several shops at the Groot Phesantekraal View Shopping Centre at the weekend. 

A video posted to social media shows people walking into a stairwell at the shopping centre where water has flooded the floor and was gushing around their feet and down stairs.

Groot Phesantekraal View forms part of a new mixed-use precinct positioned just north-east of Durbanville. The site lies prominently at the intersection of Okavango Road and Klipheuwel Road (R312).

The mall opened in August last year.

Mayco Member for Water and Sanitation, Zahid Badroodien, said that the City's Water team is busy attending to a pipe burst that occurred in the early hours of Sunday morning and affected the Groot Phesantekraal Mall.

“The water supply has been temporarily shut down to prepare for the repair. Water supply is being rerouted so that the affected areas can have water when the repair starts on Monday.

“The City's water team and affected businesses were busy with mop-up operations on Sunday,” Badroodien said.

“The City intends to replace the 500mm diameter pipe to try and prevent such an incident from occurring again. The City regrets any inconvenience caused. Teams will make every effort to complete the repair as soon as possible.”

Some of the shops affected have been closed, while others have said that they are open for business. 

Dave Sheer Guns said: “Due to municipal water pipes bursting and flooding, our shop will be closed until further notice. We apologise for any inconvenience and appreciate your understanding.”

PNA, among other stores, said that despite the burst pipe, they were not affected and were trading normally.

“Centre management is actively managing the situation, and we appreciate their ongoing efforts… Our thoughts are with the stores that have been affected, and we stand together as a centre during this time,” PNA said.

Mall management, Abland Property Developers, had been contacted for comment.

In a statement on social media on Sunday, the mall said: “Centre Management is aware and is actively managing the situation. While some shops may be affected, the centre remains fully operational and trading as normal.”

Cape Times