Schoemansville water crisis continues 18 months later with no permanent solution

Please find attached soundbites in English by Maritza du Plessis

Please find attached soundbites in Afrikaans by Maritza du Plessis

• Residents of Karel Street and parts of Schoemansville have faced recurring water supply problems for approximately 18 months.
• Despite repeated escalations and interventions, Madibeng Local Municipality has failed to identify and permanently resolve the root cause of the problem.
• The DA is demanding a proper technical diagnosis, accountability for interventions already undertaken and a clear plan to restore reliable water supply.

Residents of Karel Street and parts of Schoemansville have endured recurring water supply problems since April 2025.

Despite repeated engagements with Madibeng Local Municipality officials and senior management, technical investigations and escalations to the Municipal Manager and Provincial Executive Representative, residents continue to experience an unreliable water supply.

In July 2026, Madibeng advised that the existing pump was inadequate and that a new 4-stage, 16-bar pump was required. The pump was ordered with an initial lead time of five to six weeks. Nearly three months later, residents are still waiting, with Madibeng now indicating that the supplier will provide an update once the pump has been loaded onto a ship.

In the interim, Madibeng replaced the existing 90 kW motor with a 110 kW motor, without replacing the pump itself. The municipality must account for the cost of this intervention, the engineering assessment that informed it and the measurable improvement it has delivered.

Madibeng has also reported that incoming raw water has declined from approximately 114 litres per second to 84 litres per second due to a blockage at the raw-water pump station. At the same time, the municipality has confirmed that the big reservoir is above 70% capacity.

This raises serious questions about why the smaller Schoemansville reservoir is not recovering adequately and whether the inlet, valves and supply infrastructure have been properly inspected for blockages, restrictions or failures.

Madibeng’s latest interim proposal is to connect Karel Street directly to the outlet of the big reservoir. While urgent measures are necessary to restore water to residents, a temporary bypass cannot become a substitute for identifying and fixing the underlying fault.

The municipality must provide a clear technical assessment of the impact of this connection on the broader water system and explain whether it can be sustained without compromising the resilience of the big reservoir.

There is also growing concern about the progress of Madibeng’s project to replace ageing asbestos water pipelines across Hartbeespoort. The project covers more than 13 kilometres across Melodie, Meerhof, Ifafi, Schoemansville and Kosmos, with completion expected by 1 March 2027.

With little visible progress and the December traditional construction-industry shutdown and contractors’ annual holidays approaching, Madibeng must urgently provide a detailed implementation programme, including timelines, milestones and measures to ensure the project is completed within the stipulated deadline.

Residents cannot continue being subjected to one temporary intervention after another while the underlying problem remains unresolved.

The DA has repeatedly called for appropriately qualified independent engineering expertise to be brought in if Madibeng’s technical teams cannot establish the root cause.

After 18 months, the ANC has failed to deliver a permanent solution to this water crisis. Residents deserve a government that can ensure reliable basic services, fix failing infrastructure and protect public money.

Madibeng must answer:

1. What changed in the water system around April 2025?
2. Why is the small reservoir failing to replenish adequately while the big reservoir has substantial available capacity?
3. Have all relevant inlet, outlet and control valves been physically inspected and confirmed to be operating correctly?
4. Have the pipelines been checked for blockages, restrictions, collapse or other failures?
5. What measurable improvement resulted from replacing the 90 kW motor with the 110 kW motor?
6. When will the 4-stage pump arrive and be commissioned?
7. What are the long-term implications of supplying Karel Street from the big reservoir?
8. What is the detailed programme for the asbestos-pipeline replacement project, and how will Madibeng ensure completion by 1 March 2027?
9. Most importantly, what is Madibeng’s permanent engineering solution?

Reliable water services are essential to a functioning local economy. Businesses cannot operate, invest and expand where basic services are unreliable. By fixing water infrastructure, protecting public money and creating an environment where businesses can operate with confidence, Madibeng can help unlock investment and create jobs.

Only a DA government will bring a permanent solution, ensure reliable basic services and get Madibeng working for all. On 4 November, residents have the opportunity to vote DA for a permanent solution and a government that will get Madibeng working for all.