Town hall meeting to underline plan for White River residents

WHITE RIVER – Neil Diamond, municipal manager of the City of Mbombela Local Municipality (CMLM), defused tensions by apologising for the crisis.

A transformer had exploded and it took more than 50 hours for power to be restored.
The transformer is to be replaced through their insurance and the City will procure a backup transformer for use in such cases.

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“The city has just emerged out of a financial crisis,” Diamond noted. “I am cautious to spend R10 million on something that may end up in storage, and we will have to cut in other places.”

The big issue in White River remains water and Diamond wasted no time in outlining their plan to improve services to the beleaguered town. He emphasised that White River as a standalone area does not generate enough revenue to invest back into infrastructure.

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The City has a pipe replacement programme under way. “There are many old pipes to replace. I can’t guarantee that it will happen next week at your house, but I can guarantee that it will be done, although it might take a decade to complete.”

Theo Botha, senior manager on water planning, said an augmentation scheme from Mbombela to White River is being installed, with a 450-millimetre bulk water pipeline running from Phumlani Pump Station to White River. The project is in its final stages.

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Bertha Seloane, senior manager for water operations, said they have improved the quality of potable water, on which quality assurance tests are regularly performed.
The City has also allocated funding for further upgrades on a new 450-millimetre sewer outfall to alleviate the pressure on the existing sewer plant, which will be decommissioned.

The officials agreed that after hours, “we do a terrible job” responding to problems. They are addressing this internally. “We are looking to improve our overall response times, where it concerns water issues, specifically, because water is money.”

He advised residents to escalate persistent issues to his office and encouraged them to join the White River Ratepayers Association (WRRA). “More of you should participate, so that there is a platform from which we can engage, address and escalate these problems to find stable solutions,” Diamond said.

In the latest update by the City, the teams from the water department has finally successfully commissioned the new 450 millimetre pipeline and mended a burst pipe, after working tirelessly for anther 50 hours.

Diamond reported that water is filling up the reservoir through a bigger pipeline, which will allow for increased water volumes. He also thanked the residents of White River for their patience during these difficult times.