Indications that a second contractor has been appointed to repair the broken, underground water pipeline in Warrenton, do not bode well for residents who have been without water for half of the year.

Hopes that water would be restored by the end of July, as promised by COGHSTA MEC, Bentley Vass, have come to null. The fact that the six-month long repair process must be restarted, is devastating for locals, who had hoped that they would finally be able to get their lives and businesses back on track, following the devastating floods of 21 February 2023.

In June, the DA called on the municipality and the Department of Water and Sanitation to proactively address growing challenges in respect of the contracted diving-repair company. By that time, the water system had already broken down four times, prompting the company to start over each time. This was despite the company having indicated that the installation was a “small job”.

It is now seven weeks later, only for the municipality to be back to square one. This means that Magareng could still be weeks, if not months, away from a real solution.

There must be transparency and accountability in respect of the unnecessary suffering imposed on residents.

Aside from the lack of running water, the municipality is also failing to ensure adequate and sustainable provision of tanked water to affected communities. Since the floods, the DA has been on the ground daily, monitoring and assisting with the distribution of water. We can attest to the fact that there is a critical lack of management over the water distribution process and that the water trucks do run away and fail to ensure that all residents have access to water.

The DA reported the latest Magareng water crisis to the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) to investigate the prolonged violation of the right to access to water. We are also pushing for clarity in respect of the second contractor appointment and are requesting that there is management of the water distribution process, so that the movement of water trucks can be monitored.

Magareng residents must not be punished because the municipality’s failure to solve this longstanding water crisis.

 

Issued by Willem Potgieter, Cllr - Magareng Municipality