Tzaneen’s Georges Valley pipeline ownership unclear
NCOP visit to Tzaneen exposes uncertainty over the 18km Georges Valley pipeline, with no institution claiming ownership or responsibility.
TZANEEN – The first day of the National Council of Provinces’ (NCOP) oversight visit to Tzaneen revealed a striking issue: the 18km Georges Valley pipeline, from the river to the Georges Valley Waterworks, has no officially recognised owner.
Ageing infrastructure straining Georges Valley plant
The asbestos pipeline, built in 1963, is currently claimed by neither the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), which is responsible for raw water, nor the Mopani District Municipality (MDM), which serves as the water services authority, nor the Greater Tzaneen Municipality.
Because it appears on no asset register, no institution is accountable for its maintenance or upkeep.
DWS states that the pipeline was handed over to MDM, but MDM disputes this. Speaking to the Herald on Tuesday, the MDM spokesperson Odas Ngobeni said that according to DWS, they handed over the ownership to MDM, “but we have no record of this”.
NCOP members instructed both DWS and MDM to determine the rightful owner within three days.
Another concern raised during the oversight visit to the Georges Valley works, owned by MDM, was that the facility is operating beyond its intended capacity.
The plant now purifies eight megalitres of water per day, although the daily demand is only six megalitres. A water works employee told delegates that the water works was last upgraded in 1992. The pipeline has been plagued by leaks due to the aged infrastructure.
Residents demand answers at Nkowankowa site
The final stop was the Nkowankowa Water Treatment Plant, which supplies Nkowankowa and nearby villages. Community members used the opportunity to voice their ongoing frustrations with water shortages, calling on MDM to “pull up its socks”.
At the time of print, both DWS and MDM acknowledged that a meeting regarding the pipeline took place, but Ngobeni said he was not part of it and would follow up on the outcome. DWS spokesperson Mashilo Raletjena also promised to provide comment.
Neither institution was able to confirm who the legal owner of the pipeline is.
