Tshwane Must Explain Backsliding on Hammanskraal Water Project

Dear Editor

Yesterday, I visited several households who form part of the first phase of the Hammanskraal clean water project launched earlier this year, and found that many have no water at all. I have asked to meet the city manager and his team to understand what is happening.

This is the project conceived under the mayorship of Cilliers Brink and in cooperation with Magalies Water to give the people of Hammanskraal clean water via a modular treatment plant built at Klipdrift.

Prior to the completion of the project, Brink was removed by a vote of no confidence when ActionSA made a deal with the ANC and EFF to get the mayoral chain. Until that time I served as member of the mayoral committee for utility services and was intimately involved in tracking the progress at Klipdrift as well as the refurbishment of the Rooiwal Waste Water Treatment Plant. I have asked to meet the city manager and his team to understand what is happening.

Excellent work has been done by Magalies Water in the building of the package plant in record time, and there is evidence of significant progress on phase two of the clean water project.

It is important that Tshwane is transparent about the problem. Is it that the Klipdrift plant does not deliver sufficient water for use by residents, or has there been an infrastructure failure on Tshwane’s part?

But there seems to be a glitch on phase one of the project. What I found yesterday was numerous residents in the area of the project’s first phase who have no water at all.

Some of the residents were willing to be interviewed on camera, those videos are attached to this statement.

While Mayor Nasiphi Moya was keen to launch the first phase, she seems to have lost interest in what is happening in Hammanskraal.

In the meantime, water tankers, both those contracted by the city and private operators, continue to profit from the misfortunate of ordinary people.

Regards

Cllr Themba Fosi
DA Tshwane Spokesperson on Utility Services