Note to Editors: Please find attached a soundbite in English by Cllr Shaun Sesana.
The DA in the City of Matlosana Local Municipality is troubled by the municipality’s reluctance to act quickly in the wake of complaints from Khuma and Orkney of diseases brought on by possible tainted water as a result of a lack of maintaining the water and sanitation infrastructure.
The DA has raised concerns for years about various issues with the municipality’s water supply and made recommendations to improve the situation.
Matlosana experience frequent pipe bursts, suffer from poor repair work due to a lack of spare parts, lack of equipment, poorly trained staff, and regular pump station breakdowns resulting in massive water losses amounting to millions of Rands which puts the safety of Matlosana’s piped water at risk.
The management of the sewerage system, which frequently overflows and occasionally converges at crucial locations where pipes have burst, is one of the main areas where the municipality falls short in securing the water supply. Where pipes have burst, or the repair has been left undone, low water pressure can cause sewage to flow into the water reticulation network.
In 2020, the DA opened a case at the South African Police Service (SAPS) for negligent sewage network management against the Matlosana Municipality and the Dr Kenneth Kaunda District Municipality in response to these ongoing problems. The DA also opened a case at the SAPS in 2021, alleging negligence in the handling of sewage leaks against the then Municipal Manager, Roger Nkhumise, the Mayor of Matlosana, Maetu Kgaile, and the Director of Infrastructure, Ratidzai Madimutsa. Sadly, there has been no prosecution to date, which is an indictment on the police to investigate environmental crimes of this nature.
The DA will during the adjustment budget preparation, motivate for funding towards urgent water and sewage infrastructure maintenance and repair work to ensure that the safety of piped water is secured to all residents in Matlosana.