It seems as if Secunda’s water shortages have more to do with the lack of maintenance than what residents are led to believe.

Fiona Pelman, DA councillor, sent numerous letters to the Govan Mbeki Municipality (GMM) last year, requesting answers, but they only responded on December 3 after Pelman had to ask for a response several times.

In their response, a municipal official claimed that they never received Pelman’s original emails.

However, she asked them again last week for answers and just received an email saying her email is being noted and will be addressed.

According to Pelman, Secunda residents had to endure an unacceptable cycle of water shortages, inconsistent communication from the municipality, and delayed action regarding the reservoir in Ext 22 over the past few years.

An IDP meeting held in October 2024 saw the hall packed with residents angry over water shortages that had lasted nearly 20 days at the time.

Residents have already asked why the reservoir in Ext 22 is not being maintained and why they need to request that the municipality maintain it, as it should be part of the municipal services rendered in the community.
GMM then had a short payment of R12.5 million to Rand Water.

The municipality’s director of Civil Engineering, Victor Mlangeni, at the time said it would take about a month to repair the reservoir in Ext 22 and replace the pump.

In her letter to the municipality, Pelman said the reservoir in Ext 22 is central to the stability of the water supply to Secunda.

“This situation did not begin today; it began shortly after the significant Rand Water maintenance shutdown in 2024,” said Pelman.

“At the time, residents and I, as the ward councillor, reached the end of our patience.

“We were repeatedly told that we would have to ‘depend on gravitational flow’ whenever there were major water disruptions.

“This meant entire communities were left without water for up to 16 days, often repeatedly, without certainty of when supply would be restored.”

Pelman realised that the Ext 22 reservoir was in a deteriorated state, lacking the capacity and reliability needed to buffer the impact of regional supply issues.

“We, as councillors, fought relentlessly in the municipality to secure money for the refurbishment of the reservoirs.
“After we kept on pressuring the municipality, R3m was finally approved for the restoration.

“However, once the work began, the project quickly became plagued with problems.”

From vandalism and theft on the site to poor workmanship and delays, and from incompetent contractors to other issues, according to Pelman, these hindered the process.

“Throughout these obstacles, I continued to request weekly progress reports from the municipality,” said Pelman.
The responses were not only delayed but also consistently vague, incomplete, or contradictory.

“Instead of clarity and accountability, we received silence or uncertainty, despite the ongoing impact on residents and the seriousness of the infrastructure involved.

“As the situation worsened, I escalated the matter externally for intervention.

“I turned to parliamentarian Stephen Moore, who took the issue forward at a national level.

“Through his intervention, the matter was tabled in parliament, where the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) confirmed that the repairs were 95% complete and the project was expected to be fully completed by October 30 last year.”

However, in the middle of December, when Pelman once again enquired about the project’s progress, Secunda residents faced yet another Rand Water maintenance outage.

“Until today, we still do not have the remaining 5% completed.

“What is of an even bigger concern is that there is no official communication from the municipality to explain the outstanding work, delays, or the obstacles that are currently preventing them from finishing the project.”

The DA also escalated the issue to the Human Rights Commission because prolonged, preventable interruptions of the water supply constitute a direct violation of basic human rights.

“The residents deserve answers and transparency,” said Pelman.

“Residents deserve functioning, reliable water infrastructures, not repeated empty promises, deadlines that are not met and chronic operational failures.

“Secunda residents cannot continue to be subjected to this level of mismanagement.”

The Ridge Times asked Donald Green, media liaison and content developer at GMM, for comment.

He said the Secunda water reservoir is undergoing repairs to ensure a reliable and consistent water supply in the area.

“Water supply in the area is currently being supplied through a bypass connection,” said Green.

“Residents of Ext 22 and 23 experienced low water pressure supply, particularly during high-demand periods.
“The project is at 95% pending testing and commissioning once the inlet valve has been replaced.

“The process is at the procurement stage to appoint a service provider who will be replacing the inlet valve.
“Some of the components that have been installed there cannot be communicated in the media for security purposes.

“The timelines will be confirmed once the appointment of the service provider is confirmed.”