Government to fund upgrade of water treatment plant in Standerton
The community gathered at the Sakhile Stadium and expressed their frustrations with the water supply.
The Standerton Water Treatment Plant does not meet the demand by any stretch of the imagination.
During a fact-finding mission on June 9, Minister Senzu Mchunu of the Department of Water and Sanitation said upgrades would be done and funded by his department, not the Gert Sibande District Municipality.
The mayors of Lekwa and Gert Sibande District municipalities were present and welcomed the decision.
Delani Louis Thabethe (Lekwa) and Walter Mngomezulu (Gert Sibande District) represented their municipalities, and other dignitaries formed part of the entourage.
The dignitaries included the Department of Water and Sanitation deputy ministers David Mahlobo and Judith Tshabalala, national and provincial officials from the department and special advisors.
During his visit to the area last July, Mchunu committed R350m to assist Lekwa in dealing with its many water and sanitation challenges.
The department’s support was for refurbishing the ageing infrastructure and operations and maintenance to improve the provision of services to communities.
The Standerton Water Treatment Works was the first on the agenda before a trip to Concor Sewerage Drainage for a site inspection.
The bulk outfall sewerage pipeline in Ext 8 was next on the list before a site inspection at the Rooikoppen booster pump station 3.
Mchunu admitted early on that water supply was a ‘problem’ and ‘huge’ and did not use that oft-repeated misnomer ‘challenge’.
In one project, the obstruction point is under repair, and a bypass would provide the community with clean water.
The repairs are estimated to take 18 weeks.
The community gathered at the Sakhile Stadium and expressed their frustrations with the water supply.
One woman said municipal tankers did not provide water, while another mentioned the feeding schemes at schools could not provide meals to the learners without water.
The Standerton Advertiser published an article on Hlobisa Primary School’s dilemma in April.
They protested at the main municipal building, saying they could not cook, clean, or use the toilets.
MMC for Technical Services, Sipho Amos Majozi, addressed them in the courtyard the same day and said the water crisis was a national problem and that load-shedding meant the water treatment plant could not function properly.
Some learners depending on the feeding scheme returned home without food.
Nyandeni Primary School also had no water supply on April 26.
Mchunu promised the project would be fast-tracked. The community hoped the water and sanitation challenges would become history.
