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Gamagara municipality’s refusal to accept free expertise and assistance to fix a burst water pipe, left residents of Kathu and its surrounds high and dry for up to five days last week.

The local mine indicated its preparedness to help, requiring nothing more than a formal letter of request from the municipal manager before the mine closed for the day. This was not forthcoming.

The DA, with the assistance of Afriforum, then managed to arrange a local company to assist. Costs were due to be carried by Afriforum. The skilled and willing team was on site and ready to institute repairs, when the Director of Water showed up, insisting that the municipality would repair the pipe themselves.

The municipality’s repairs only lasted a couple of hours before the pipe burst again. By that time, the contractor had left and was no longer able to assist.

After further enquiry, the municipal manager informed me that the municipality was sourcing three quotes for repairs. By that time, the damage to the pipe was significantly worse and the reservoir had run dry.

The mine made another offer to assist and worked for the whole day, through the rain, to fix the pipe. The director again tried to interfere and threatened that the municipality would take over. I then sought an intervention from the Mayor, asking the director to leave the site, so that the mine could complete the repairs.

Eventually, water was restored thanks to the mine. The five-day water shutdown could have been avoided, if Gamagara had put the wellbeing of the residents first.

This is not the first time that the municipality has forsaken offered assistance.

In August this year, the municipality snubbed free assistance to attend to a sewage blockage that was affecting a local school. The municipality wanted to get a contractor from Mafikeng, at great cost to the municipality. Eventually, it was the local contractors who got the job done.

The DA will table a motion in Council, asking for Standard Operating Procedures to be developed, to guide the acceptance of sponsored assistance, by skilled local contractors. Gamagara municipality must not let its pride, or ulterior motives, get in the way of service delivery.

Issued by Anna-Marie Caetano, Cllr - Gamagara municipality