Note to Broadcasters: Please find attached soundbites in English and Afrikaans by Inge Wilken
The DA in Matlosana calls for urgent action as water services break down, leaving residents without reliable water supply. For four consecutive days, water repair interruptions have affected the community while repair teams remain crippled by a severe lack of vehicles.
In Ward 39 alone, more than 100 unresolved water-related issues have been reported. These include leaking pressure-reducing valves (PRVs) and faulty water meters, which continue to inflate residents’ accounts unfairly and add to the destruction of the infrastructure around the leaks. The lack of operational resources has left the community questioning the municipality’s commitment to basic service delivery.
The depth of the crisis was exposed during a routine Council meeting in 2024, where it was revealed by a fellow DA councillor to the MMC of Infrastructure that Klerksdorp’s five water teams share only one functioning vehicle, this appeared to be news to the MMC. The lack of transportation means only the most severe emergencies are addressed, leaving routine maintenance and minor but critical repairs unattended.
Mismanagement of Fleet control is the root cause. By November 2024, 53% of the water team’s vehicles were stuck in the maintenance workshop due to repairs delayed by non-payment. As of January 2025, the situation has worsened— 100% of Klerksdorp and Jouberton teams’ vehicles are now out of commission, again due to non-payment.
DA Matlosana is calling on municipal leadership, MMC, and Directors to address this growing crisis urgently. The community demands accountability and immediate action to restore the basic services that every citizen has a right to expect.