Note to Broadcasters: Please find linked soundbites in English and Afrikaans by Cllr Pieter Malan.
The DA in the Rustenburg Local Municipality has written to the Executive Mayor, Shiela Mabale Huma, to ensure that the Director of Technical and Infrastructure Systems, Godfrey Mahlangu, reports to Council on the status of the quality and safety of potable water and the internal mechanisms implemented to ensure compliance with SANS 241 and Blue Drop Certification.
The DA insists that the report be as comprehensive as possible, not only to ensure that Council conducts proper oversight but also to regularly communicate to residents the status of Rustenburg’s water quality and safety.
The item should as a minimum address the following issues:
1. The policy regarding water sampling – the municipality should verify potable water sampling and analysis in the municipal reticulation system and upload this data on the IRIS database (Blue Drop regulatory system);
2. A list of the officials attending the bi-monthly water issue meeting arranged by Rand Water;
3. The acknowledgment of officials that reticulated water within the municipality’s supply is monitored by an accredited laboratory and that data is uploaded on the IRIS database for Blue Drop evaluation;
4. Progress made on the long outstanding sewage spills throughout the municipality;
5. The schedule for past and current cleaning of reservoirs;
6. The maintenance of reservoir land sites; and.
7. The organogram of the water and sanitation units, including an audit of the required qualifications versus the actual qualifications of appointed officials.
Residents of Rustenburg have long endured water outages brought on by disputes between the municipality and the Magalies Water Board.
Magalies Water draws water from the Vaalkop Dam, which is connected to the Bospoort Dam, where sewage has been flowing in via the Hexrivier and Dorpspruit for many years.
Some water reservoirs routinely run dry due to an interruption of supply by Magalies Water, which leads to brownish water supplied to residents because of the disruption. It is vital that the municipality follow all the necessary steps to ensure the quality and safety of water supplied to Rustenburg residents.
The Rustenburg Local Municipality must reassure residents that the water they receive in their taps is safe to drink and the only way to do this is through regular testing and communicating the test results to all residents.