Note to Broadcasters: Please find attached soundbite in English by Luan Snyders
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Rustenburg has formally written to the Minister of Water and Sanitation to demand urgent national intervention to stabilise Magalies Water’s operations and ensure that Rustenburg receives the bulk water supply it needs (see letter here).
We are deeply concerned about Magalies Water’s growing inability to deliver clean, reliable, and uninterrupted water to residents across the city (see notices here and here).
As the Water Services Authority, Rustenburg Local Municipality (RLM) can only distribute water once sufficient bulk supply is received. However, persistent operational failures within Magalies Water’s systems are now severely undermining Rustenburg’s water security and placing communities, businesses, and institutions at risk.
The DA highlights the following critical failures:
Kortbegrip System:
The system is designed to operate with three pumps, yet only one is currently functional. Two remain out of service, despite a recently unveiled project that still has no consistent water supply feeding into it.
Phatsima Pump Station:
Since 2023, the station has suffered recurring electricity failures. To date, no sustainable solution has been implemented, resulting in ongoing instability in water provision (see telemetry reading here for January 2026).
Bospoort Reservoir Decommissioning:
The decommissioning of the Bospoort reservoir has placed severe pressure on the remaining 35ML reservoir, which is now unable to meet Rustenburg’s growing demand.
Bospoort Plant 3:
Pump failures occur almost daily. The plant is operating with only three pumps instead of the required five, drastically reducing its operational capacity.
Monnakato Pipeline:
The Monnakato line is frequently offline due to pipe bursts, with repairs often taking two to three days. These recurring disruptions continue to destabilise bulk supply to the municipality.
Tlhabane Reservoir – Pilanesberg Phase 2 Project:
This multi-million-rand project has become a white elephant. The Mafenya pump station has not been energised and no water is being pumped to the Tlhabane Reservoir, despite the project having been publicly unveiled ahead of the 2024 elections.
These failures point to systemic mismanagement, weak maintenance planning, and a lack of accountability within Magalies Water and its partner institutions.
Residents of Rustenburg deserve transparency, reliability, and water security — not excuses and unfinished projects.
Water is a basic human right. Rustenburg cannot continue to suffer under mismanagement while critical infrastructure collapses. The DA will continue to use every oversight mechanism available to protect residents’ access to reliable water.