MMC responds to DA charges over South Hills water cuts
“We could not sit by idly while the residents' constitutional rights have been violated. We will be monitoring the developments of this case.” – DA
The City of Joburg MMC for Environment and Infrastructure Services Department (EISD), Mpho Moerane, as the MMC responsible for oversight on the entity responsible for the City’s water supply, is concerned about the water supply interruptions in South Hills and other parts of the City.
The continuous water supply interruptions are a result of a combination of factors, including supply chain, which has been hugely impacted by lockdown restrictions and recent uprisings that affected the movement of infrastructures, such as valves and pipes, with trucks.
The MMC noted with concern the charges laid against him by DA councillors on September 4 at the Moffat View Police Station. The case laid was over the recent water crisis in the suburbs of South Hills, Linmeyer, Risana, Thulisa Park, parts of Oakdene and parts of Rosettenville Extension.
Present to lay the charges were councillors Michael Crichton (Ward 56), Faeeza Chame (Ward 57), Mpho Phalatse (DA mayoral candidate for Johannesburg), Tyrell Meyers (Ward 23), Stuart Marais (Ward 54), Rashieda Landis (Ward 55), Matsobane Sekhu (PR councillor) and Manny de Freitas MP.
The residents did not have water for nine days from July 4 to 13 and then barely a month later there was a week-long outage from August 26 to September 1.
MMC’s response:
In his response, the MMC gave the following details:
The City of Johannesburg has experienced unprecedented water supply challenges in some parts of the City in the past few months. The recent explosion at Rand Water’s Palmiet booster pumping station, which feeds its Meyers Hill reservoir, impacted supply from Johannesburg Water’s South Hills tower and therefore affected the southern parts of the City, leaving residents in the south without water for a number of days.
The supply challenges were further compounded by a power failure at the Zuikerbosh purification works, again, negatively impacting the Palmiet booster pumping station – and in turn intermittent supply to the southern suburbs in the City.
The South Hills reservoir was below the threshold at which Johannesburg Water could pump into the tower. As a result, the South Hills Tower area was without water to supply.
Areas affected included Linmeyer, South Hills, Risana, The Hill and surrounding areas.
During this entire time, Johannesburg Water was in constant engagements with councillors in the area and explained the challenges experienced, as well as interventions put in place to recover the system.
It is therefore inopportune that the DA, well-informed of these challenges including the recent water restrictions imposed by Rand Water to manage supply, makes a spectacle by opening this case.
The City is committed to providing safe water and sanitation to residents, and the recent challenges were beyond the control of Johannesburg Water. In mitigating the challenge, the entity provided alternative water by means of water tankers in all affected areas until the water supply was fully restored.
