Since last week, residents of Hammanskraal experienced a concerning situation of brown water out of the taps.
The Media Director of the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), Mr Sputnik Ratau said the reticulation of water is the responsibility of local authorities and in the case of Hammanskraal, it is the responsibility of the City of Tshwane.
“The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), has a responsibility to hold the City liable for not discharging its duties since local government reports to COGTA.
“As the national Department, we have exercised our legislative responsibility and the Human Rights Commission duly instructed the Municipality to fulfill its constitutional responsibility. The DWS continues its regulatory functions but the City must do what it is mandated to do in line with the constitution, which guarantees access to water,” Mr Ratau said.
While the Hammanskraal residents were going through the traumatic experience of brown water coming out their taps, a political public spat was ensuing between the Mayor of Tshwane, Mr Randall Williams, and the Action SA Mayoral Candidate, Mr Abel Tau, over who is responsible for the water crisis in Hammanskraal.
Mr Abel Tau is the former DA MMC for Water and Electricity at the City of Tshwane and the Mayor accused him of being responsible for the failure to address the water crisis while he was MMC for Water and Electricty.
Mr Tau on the other hand retaliated that the Mayor was the Leader of Business at the City at the same time when he was MMR and accused the Mayor of maintaining a political party position that the water was fit for human consumption when it was not. Mr Tau said he defied the DA party line at the time and took the responsibility to attempt to fix the water crisis in Hammanskraal.
Mr Sipho Stuurman of the City of Tshwane said the City remains committed to delivering clean quality water to all residents of Tshwane and said the water crisis in Hammanskraal should not be politicized.
“The Executive Mayor has no interest in ActionSA’s Mr Abel Tau’s political stunts designed to grandstand for public support, as we have often communicated,” said Mr Stuurman.
He also said the City is currently investing heavily in upgrading and expanding the capacity of the water infrastructure. “A tender to this effect was awarded in 2019 to the value of over R300 million.”
In a statement from the City of Tshwane, MMC for Water and Electricity, Mr Phillip Nel, said the repair and maintenance work at the Temba Water Treatment Plant has been completed within the scheduled timelines. This is despite experiencing unexpected delays with the electronic side of the work on the Ozone plant.
He said the Temba Plant has been started and is running at low volumes for sampling and to ensure good quality water is served to the residents of Hammanskraal.
“As the whole distribution system is empty, the volume will be increased slowly in order to not cause damage to the reticulation system during the filling process. The water supply cannot be restored at full pressure immediately because this will damage the water pipes.
He said residents will still experience water that is not clear coming out of their taps and should not be alarmed as the system will be clearing itself and ultimately the water will be clear.
“I would also like to remind residents that even when the water flows clear, it is still not suitable for drinking or cooking but can be used for other purposes.
“Please continue to use the water from the water tankers for drinking and cooking. Water tankers are still deploying in higher than normal numbers to provide additional water to all residents,” he said.
