Safety concerns, severe vandalism, and decaying infrastructure have forced the City of Tshwane to abandon its Region 6 water and sanitation depot in Waltloo, relocating operations to the Mini Munitoria in Mamelodi.

The facility now lies dilapidated, with broken boundary fences, smashed windows, blocked sewers, and overgrown grass.

Ward 41 councillor Ben Chapman said female workers felt unsafe reporting for duty because of a lack of security and the presence of homeless people directly behind the buildings.

Impact on Region 6 services

Chapman claimed the depot’s operational collapse directly affects service delivery in Region 6, alleging that repairs that should be taking hours instead take days because the site is not operational, inflating costs through machinery hired hourly.

He alleged that the water team lacks capacity, tools, and vehicles, forcing workers to travel to Bronkhorstspruit to source materials.

Chapman noted that despite multiple complaints to the city to repair the site, the city has taken no action.

“The technicians do great work, but they lack proper tools of trade, as they are not provided by the city administration,” he said, adding that this leads to delays or lower-quality work.

He called on the city administration to repair and prioritise the depot to restore full operational capacity in Region 6.

Tshwane metro response

Tshwane metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said regular maintenance had been carried out, but continuous vandalism and theft led to the decision to relocate staff to the Mini Munitoria in Mamelodi.

Responding to claims regarding homeless individuals, Mashigo denied that the facility accommodates them, though he confirmed that the site has been vandalised.

“There is 24-hour security at the facility. However, over the past four years, the depot has experienced frequent incidents of theft and vandalism, during which security personnel have been routinely harmed by perpetrators,” Mashigo said.

He added that the section is engaging with the Tshwane Metro Police Department regarding the security challenges.

Mashigo clarified that ablution facilities were previously operational, but theft of fittings made them unusable.

He maintained that the Region 6 Water and Sanitation section has sufficient capacity to execute its daily duties.

“The city has various stores across the municipality from which operational teams collect materials regularly,” Mashigo explained, adding that teams collect from Bronkhorstspruit only when required supplies are available there, though they mostly use the Marabastad store.

Mashigo confirmed that the Waltloo buildings are no longer occupied, noting that teams now report to the Mini Munitoria in Mamelodi under the supervision of a director and deputy director.

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