A THOUSAND JOBS ARE AT RISK

Businesses risk closing if the last water pump in town stops working

Stutterheim’s two biggest employers, Anca Foods and Boardman Brothers – with nearly a thousand workers between them – will have to close production if the town’s last remaining water pump breaks down.

The water reservoir is empty and only one of its three pumps are working. One stopped working back in April and the second four weeks ago.

Parts have been cannibalised from these two to keep the third one pumping.

The operational pump, according to technical maintenance staff, is on “borrowed time”, having carried the load alone for four weeks.

“One day without water and we lose R1.8m.

“After three days we start losing 30,000 birds a day, because they are too big for our customers,” said Tony Isemonger, who owns Anca Foods.

“Were it not for the fact that there is a simple solution to this, our main worry would be for the people of Stutterheim, not chickens.

“But there is a solution. If the pump breaks, there is a spare available in East London.

“It’s expensive at R280,000, but a lot cheaper than losing a day’s production.

“We are thinking of buying one for ourselves, so it would be available to the municipality in an emergency until it gets back to the stage where it has three operational pumps.”

Anca employs 600 people, mainly from the town’s three townships, Mlungisi, Kubusi, and Xholorha. Without a steady stream of water, chickens die – and with it those 600 jobs. Anca supplies most of the Eastern Cape’s supermarkets with brine-free and antibiotic-free chicken.

Not far away, Mlungisi village has been without water for two weeks since rioters damaged a fourth pump there.

“Apparently water will flow again in Mlungisi on Saturday,” said Isemonger.

Two pumps together are capable of pumping 180,000 kilolitres an hour to the town’s reservoir from the Kubusi River, when needed. The third is the reserve.

Several other businesses, including those in the hospitality trade, are also anxious about a possible pump breakdown.

Boardman Brothers’ managing direct Ricky Boardman said his engineering team had a close working relationship with technical staff at the pump station.

“It is probably unusual but our maintenance team works closely with the pump station crew. We help them out with repairs, tools and machining of working parts.

“If they are short of things, we often supply from our parts store. It’s in our interest. There is no backup pump so we have to keep this one going.”

Stutterheim falls under Amahlati local municipality, which in turn is under Amatola district municipality (ADM). Acting ADM spokesperson Noni Madikizela-Vuso said ADM was aware of the situation and was working on appointing a service provider to replace the two broken pumps, and would refurbish the third pump once the other two were in place. “We appreciate the urgency. There is a budget in place.”

Boardman said the company’s paint and chemical divisions employ 653 people – 213 permanent and another 350 temporarily between October and January every year.

Without a regular water supply, these divisions stop operating. “If water doesn’t flow, work stops. Recently we had to install filter systems because of poor quality water. It’s often muddy, and occasionally there are stones. We are also, together with Anca, investigating building a larger reservoir.”

However, it is the gap between breakdown and action that concerns Isemonger and Boardman.

“We can’t hang around while the politicians debate budget issues,” said Isemonger.

Both companies stress that there is no question of closing shop and relocating.

One day without water and we lose R1.8m. After three days we start losing 30,000 birds a day