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The DA will write to Limpopo Premier, Stanley Mathabatha, to place Vhembe District Municipality (VDM) under administration for their continued failure to maintain sewerage infrastructure, wastewater treatment works (WWTW), and to provide water, not only to the residents of Musina but to the district as a whole.

This week, an oversight visit to Musina uncovered numerous dry taps and a sewer system on the brink of collapse. Sewage pipes are either blocked or leaking, drains are overflowing, and raw sewage flows down the town’s streets, past schools and businesses. 

The recurring and frequent sewage leaks as well as constant water shortages are a result of ageing infrastructure, a lack of staff to operate treatment plants, poor management, and a failure to provide sufficient resources for the maintenance of the sewerage system.

VDM is responsible for 14 WWTW plants, and 13 of those were regarded as being in a critical state in the 2021 Green Drop report. WWTW and sewerage schemes like Vuwani, Mutale, Thohoyandou, Malamulele, Mhinga, and Vleifontein have had operational challenges, and some have been inactive since 2021.

The Integrated Development Plan (IDP) for VDM shows it is the Water Services Authority (WSA) and provider for all four municipalities, Musina, Makhado, Thulamela, and Collins Chabane, and 25.63% of households in the district experience water interruption for more than 14 days over a three-month period, which is above the water interruption standard.  The standard requires a minimum number of days that water is made available and that it is not interrupted for more than 48 consecutive hours.

Water services infrastructure has been extended to 95% of the population in the district, but much of this infrastructure is not delivering a service as per the minimum national standards of quality, quantity, and reliability due to financial and capacity difficulties.

The historic challenges in Vhembe of water shortages and sewerage system breakdowns cannot continue to go unaddressed. The DA expects Premier Mathabatha to place VDM under administration in terms of Section 139 (1) (b) of the Constitution and to undertake the responsibility to maintain the water treatment and sewerage systems and provide water to desperate residents of the Vhembe district.

The DA is the only party committed to ensuring that the dignity of residents is restored by ensuring a reliable supply of drinking water and that they live in a clean and healthy environment.

Issued by Risham Maharaj MPL - DA Constituency head for Musina Municipality