Metro assures residents that water tankers provide safe and clean water

The Tshwane metro is once again reassuring residents that it conducts random water quality sampling to ensure that water tankers distribute safe and potable water and is committed to providing services to residents.

This comes after residents in Equestria claimed that during a prolonged water outage the metro provided a water tanker, and that they were later informed that this water was not suitable for drinking.

“We had two water outages two weeks ago, due to negligence and incompetence from contractors, the city dispatched a water tanker, two hours later we were informed it is not suitable for drinking,” said resident Elsie Venter.

Venter said she moved to Equestria about a month ago, and she is frustrated with the water challenges in the area.

“The ward councillor is trying her best to communicate with the residents but Tshwane is just not coming to the party,” Venter said.

“The ward councillor informed all residents that the water was not suitable for drinking, and this got her worried that, should there be another outage, it means the city will provide unsafe water again.”

Venter said apart from the water tanker, service delivery in Equestria is ‘terrifying’.

“Water outages and power outages are a nightmare in the area and I think the new overtime rule makes service delivery weak as they do not attend to power outages at night.”

The residents are frustrated over recurring service delivery failures, citing multiple water and power outages in just a short time.

They claimed that negligence by contractors, poor emergency response, and recent policy changes may be affecting turnaround times.

Ward 85 councillor, Jacqui Uys, confirmed that the city had dispatched a water tanker with water not suitable for drinking.

Previously, residents raised concerns about the lack of water tankers during outages, saying they were notified of designated times and locations where water tankers would be available, only to arrive and find no trucks on site.

In many cases, they were told there was a shortage of tankers, or that the vehicle had stopped briefly and then left, leaving residents stranded without access to water.

Tshwane dismissed claims that contaminated water had been delivered to residents.

“There is absolutely no way that the City of Tshwane could have dispatched a water tanker containing water that is unfit for human consumption,” said city’s spokesperson, Lindela Mashigo.

According to Mashigo, all water tankers are filled using approved municipal fire hydrants connected to the treated potable water system.

Mashigo emphasised that regular water quality sampling is carried out by trained technicians to ensure compliance with national drinking water standards.

“We have a panel of service providers contracted to deliver water in the event of service interruptions, dispatches are coordinated with ward councillors once it becomes clear that water supply restoration will take longer than expected,” he explained.

Mashigo said any suggestion that non-potable water may have been delivered to the public is therefore highly unlikely and inconsistent with the city’s established operating procedures.

“The city remains committed to safeguarding public health through the consistent delivery of clean, safe drinking water.”

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