uThukela District Municipality held a multi-stakeholders meeting at their boardroom on Friday (March 17) – which included the municipal manager, officials, ward councillors, ward committees and NGOs – to deliberate on the recent water interruptions.
The municipality and stakeholders reflected on the issues surrounding water interruptions that affected Ezakheni, the Pieters Industrial Area, Steadville, Acaciavale, Smartiesville, Aloe Park, Hillside, Hillview, Rose Park, Leonardsville and the Nambithi Industrial Area.
The municipality would like to clarify that the said interruptions emanated from electrical problems that required attention from professionals and experts in the field that went beyond the day-to-day functions and operations of an ordinary electrician.
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uThukela went on to say that…
Furthermore, the electrical challenge that was experienced required specialised equipment and material that goes beyond normal day-to-day functions.
Had uThukela District Municipality not engaged these professionals, untold damage could have caused months of no water supply, as opposed to a few days.
It was in the spirit of restoring water swiftly to the affected communities that the municipality acted in the way it did. In this regard, uThukela apologises profusely to all affected consumers.
It is by no means that the municipality willfully, knowingly and intentionally deprives any community or any consumer under its jurisdiction. The municipality, with its committed political and administrative leadership, is pursuing a course of committed and reliable service delivery of water within the entire district.
Besides attempting to attain day-to-day reliability of services, uThukela District Municipality is in a very advanced stage of erecting a regional bulk plant at the Spioenkop Dam, servicing the entire district.
Also, uThukela District Municipality, as a Water Services Authority and a Water Services Provider, is the only municipality in the country currently in an advanced stage of piloting the 5 Years Department of Water & Sanitation Reliable Service Delivery Implementation Plan.
The municipality is also committed to ensuring commitment from its staff as public servants to deliver quality and reliable services. In this regard, firm disciplinary actions will prevail as and when necessary.
Once again, uThukela District Municipality wants to reaffirm its commitment in delivering effective, efficient and reliable services to all its community. In doing so, we are also saying that there will be challenges and interruptions in the supply of water along the way as we pursue the path of implementing and attaining reliable services.
As per the resolutions taken in our multi-stakeholders meeting, every attempt will be made to mitigate the recurrence of water interruptions.
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