Mayor rubbishes Rand Water claims
The water utility claims that Tshwane has exceeded its water target and is refusing to impose restrictions.
The City of Tshwane and Rand Water got into an online spat over the weekend over who was responsible for water supply challenges affecting several communities across the Metro.
Rand Water released a statement on Saturday, saying that it was concerned about the metro’s “unsubstantiated statement regarding water outages in parts of the city.”
It said that it was “displeased” about the City’s claim that the water shortages in parts of Pretoria, including Soshanguve, Akasia, and parts of Pretoria East, were due to low pressure from the water utility.
“It is significant to mention that the City of Tshwane’s water consumption has been increasing significantly, and Rand Water advised the municipality to control the consumption patterns,” reads the utility’s media statement.
In a further post on X, Rand Water said that the metro had exceeded its water target and was refusing to impose restrictions and communicate water conservation messages.
Tshwane mayor Cilliers Brink responded to Rand Water, saying: “That’s complete rubbish.”
That’s complete rubbish. And if you’re admitting by this tweet that you are imposing water restrictions on @CityTshwane, we will be using this tweet as evidence of your unlawful conduct. Fix your internal issues, and be open and honest with your consumers.
— Cilliers Brink (@CilliersB) September 2, 2023
The mayor warned that if Rand Water admitted with its post that the utility was imposing water restrictions on the city, it would use the post as evidence of unlawful conduct.
“Fix your internal issues, and be open and honest with your consumers,” Brink told Rand Water.
MMC for utilities and regional operations, Themba Fosi, said that the lack of communication from Rand Water had exacerbated the situation.
“We have been working tirelessly, continuously engaging with Rand Water’s technical team, as well as our internal experts, to identify and implement solutions that can address these issues promptly,” said Fosi.
He said that the indirect communication via a post on X by Rand Water was “both concerning and unacceptable.”
“We urge Rand Water to be forthright and to identify and communicate the root causes of their supply disruptions and to work with us to ensure stable and consistent water supplies to the city,” said Fosi.
The City of Tshwane yesterday alerted residents that the Carina and Mooikloof reservoirs, which supply water to large parts of Pretoria East, were receiving insufficient water pressure.
This low water pressure was leading to low levels at the Klapperkop reservoir, which in turn supplies the Carina and Mooikloof reservoirs.
Tshwane spokesperson Selby Bokaba told Rekord at the time that residents were urged to use water sparingly or risk “water-shedding” shortly.
Klapperkop reservoir was receiving water at a measured 4.5 bar on Saturday morning, below the 10 bar the system is supposed to receive, according to the city.
ALSO READ: Residents advised to use water sparingly
Do you have more information about the story?
Please send us an email to editorial@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
