The ongoing water infrastructure problem in Fish Hoek, caused by crumbling systems, has reached critical proportions, with major leaks occurring almost daily and leading to the formation of sinkholes and potholes.
A large sinkhole that formed on Wednesday evening in the busy Corsair Street in Sun Valley, Fish Hoek, already caused injuries when two vehicles landed in it.
Social media posts by frustrated residents indicate that the problem is rapidly worsening, with some households experiencing water outages lasting over four days in a single week this past month.
The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) is aware that, despite numerous empty promises from DA councillors, the situation has been allowed to spiral out of control even though the City earmarked R2,3 billion for water and sanitation projects in its 2023/24 budget.
This allocation included R800 million for the maintenance and upgrading of pipes and treatment facilities, as well as a water pipe replacement programme for Fish Hoek and surrounding areas. At the time, the area’s water loss was already an estimated 20%.
The Freedom Front Plus is also aware that similar problems are affecting the City at large.
So, the party will immediately take up the matter with Mr Anton Bredell, the Western Cape MEC for Environmental Affairs, Development Planning and Local Government.
Municipal water supply, including infrastructure maintenance and replacement, is and remains the primary responsibility of a municipality, as stipulated in the Constitution of South Africa.
Local government is responsible for managing and financing water infrastructure, and it is a fact that Western Cape residents pay some of the highest utility rates and taxes in the country.
National government cannot be blamed for this problem, as it already provides funding to provinces through subsidies and grants.
The funds needed for replacing Fish Hoek’s infrastructure were allocated two years ago. It has not happened purely due to incompetence, which is unacceptable.
The DA cannot point fingers at the ANC’s poor service delivery elsewhere in the country while Fish Hoek residents have been receiving such substandard service for years.
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