EVENTS AND EXHIBITIONS
19
Plumbing companies repair
toilets in Diepsloot for Wassup
A festive air was brought to Diepsloot Extension 1, Midrand, on
Mandela Day (18 July) when eight teams of plumbers descended
on the township to provide much-needed repairs to toilets.
Each toilet serves 39 families of an average of five people each.
Consequently, they take a hammering.
The Mandela Day event was part of the annual out-
reach Community Plumbing Challenge 2019. Accord-
ing to Obed Kekae, executive of Wassup, an acronym
for Water Amenities Sanitation Services Upgrade
Programme, which is a dedicated volunteer and
non-profit organisation, the teams involved were:
TM Plumbing, Ionic Plumbing; Iopsa; SNS Plumb-
ing; Drain Surgeon; AJC Plumbing; Peaceful Scapes;
Burgess Plumbing; and Plumbston Plumbing.
The day was organised by Iopsa and Sticky Situations, with
PIRB sponsoring the refreshments and food for the day.
The target for the day was initially eight toilets repairs, but
in the end 18 were done. Plumblink brought materials,
while the landscaping team did some landscaping around
the 18 toilets.
In full appreciation of the support, Kekae enthused that
one team did more for the community in one morning than
government does in an entire year. The Community Plumbing
Challenge aims to contribute to improvements to public
health in regions where communities are still threatened by
a lack of basic sanitation and safe drinking water systems.
Various teams at work in Diepsloot.
Community Plumbing Challenge 2019 combines
multidisciplinary teams with a cross-section of expertise,
expanding on the skills pathway and career options for
plumbing apprentices and professionals in South Africa and
around the world.
September 2019 Volume 25 I Number 7
Eight defunct communal toilets were refurbished, and doors,
washbasins and taps replaced where necessary. This is the
work Wassup does on a daily basis, and Kekae says the
assistance from Plumblink, Iopsa and Plumbing Africa has
been invaluable. PA
www.plumbingafrica.co.za