DA’s plan to fix Polokwane’s water shortage rejected by ANC

POLOKWANE – The DA is confident that the water crisis in the city can be addressed and mitigated and came to the party by tabling an extensive motion during the council meeting that took place last Thursday.

The ANC, however, voted against the motion and the EFF abstained from voting.

In support of the motion that was tabled by DA councillor Jacques Joubert and seconded by councillor Johan Retters, the DA stressed that Section 27(1)(b) of the Constitution stipulates that everyone has the right to access to water and the regulations under Section 9 of the Water Services Act states that the minimum standard for basic water supply services is a minimum quantity of potable water of 25 litres per person per day or six kilolitres per household per month at a minimum flow rate of not less than 10 litres per minute.

The DA argues that Polokwane Municipality is in violation of its obligation to supply water to communities in its jurisdiction as per a SAHRC report of October 2021 and also failed to comply with the order of the South African Human Rights Commission, issued in October 2021.

The DA noted that the 50ML Krugersburg reservoir, one of the main storage reservoirs, has been dry for more than a decade under ANC rule.

“Although there are tariffs to fine residents who misuse water, there are no officials who monitor these transgressions to issue fines and tankers are ineffective and not adequately monitored, while the Auditor-General flagged a 24% water loss amounting to R68m during the 2023/24 financial year,” the DA stated.

Polokwane receives only 80 to 99 ML of water per day and is unable to meet the summer peak flow demand of 163ML per day, affected areas not receiving consistent water supply are on the increase, there is no political will to enforce a council resolution to install prepaid smart meters in the non-paying Mankweng area and many pre-paid water smart meters are non-functional, causing excessive and in many cases unmonitored use of water, the DA added.

The DA’s motion states that:

1. All water treatment works and relevant infrastructure be fully capacitated to deliver to their full capacity in terms of fresh water supply;

2. Existing council resolutions pertaining to Mankweng be enforced, namely that water smart meters be installed to all properties within 30 days;

3. The credit control policies be enforced justly and equally within all wards of Polokwane which would curb excessive water usage in areas receiving unbilled water;

4. A once-off municipal account rebate of R10 000 be given to owners of properties in areas continually affected with water shortages as a subsidy to purchase storage tanks and pressure pumps;

5. An application, similar to the one the DA piloted previously, be developed and used to monitor water tanker deliveries, which would monitor and streamline deliveries;

6. A maintenance programme be developed to investigate non-functional valves and other infrastructure needs required to adequately reticulate water in all 45 wards of Polokwane;

7. Water restrictions be implemented until adequate water supply to all areas have been restored;

8. Penalties be issued to residents who excessively use water;

9. The relevant department be adequately resourced to enable the above recommendation (8) and to adequately investigate and penalise transgressors;

10. The municipality install temporary communal tanks in neighbourhoods to enable residents without tanks to collect water with buckets;

11. The municipality will fill these tanks once a day or as needed to cater to the needs of the community;

12. Council revisit the revised moratorium on new development in order to first stabilise water supply to Polokwane before approving further development;

13. The Sandriver North project be fast-tracked to deliver the additional anticipated 18ML of water;

14. A full report be submitted to council outlining the extent of faulty smart water meters together with a turnaround strategy within the next 60 days;

15. The municipality implement a scheduled water supply program in order for all areas to receive regular water inflow as per schedule until Polokwane’s water crisis is finally resolved;

16. Progress update reports be submitted to every ordinary council sitting until all recommendations are fully implemented.

“This is a blatant political attack on us,” was the first comment made by the ANC when the motion was tabled in council and according to Retters, the ANC is feeling the pressure when it struggles to answer questions by the DA as once again the residents in city of Polokwane are without water for days.

“The ANC discourages the use of any of Jo-Jo tanks as these, according to the municipality, contribute to the high consumption of water and cause an imbalance in the water system. How does the municipality expect the residents of Polokwane not to make provision for back-up water because of a situation that was created by the municipality? There are no water restrictions, no penalties for expensive use of water and no water meters available causing Polokwane losing a considerable amount of revenue,” Retters remarked.

The municipality’s reply to the issues raised in the motion will be addressed in next week’s publication.