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The Democratic Alliance in Limpopo will today write to the Polokwane Municipal Manager, Dikgabe Makobe, to keep heavy water losses in the Municipality at bay.

We are requesting urgent steps to be taken to address water leaks on the Dap Naude water pipeline and other infrastructure, as well as to implement Management and Control Measures and Systems at water bays.

Polokwane have been experiencing water disruption especially in higher located areas for more than 10 years now and during 2020 the city was without water for 2 weeks.

The reasons for the challenges experienced in the water supply are primarily dilapidated infrastructure, the lack of personnel with the knowledge to maintain equipment like water pumps, and the lack of control regarding water consumption and wastage.

We are extremely concerned about the lack of urgency with which the Polokwane Municipality deals with water leaks on the Dap Naude pipeline and water infrastructure in Polokwane.

At the Dalmada Water Purification Plant (DWPP) one of the two pumps has not been working for months which means that this plant is only operating on reduced capacity. This means that a reduced quantity of water that is received from Dap Naude Dam which is full can be pumped to the 3 reservoirs at Krugersburg, close to the plant, which have the capacity to store 110 Megaliters (110 million liters) of water.

There are water leaks on the Dap Naude waterline inside a concrete construction where water streams from daily. Because the pipeline is not inspected regularly water could have been wasted here for months.

We are very concerned about the total lack of management and control at the 3 water bays in Polokwane which is the reason for heavy losses of water and money.

To be able to transport water from water bays, a valid contract with the Municipality is needed. Municipal Officials pay these contractors for each load of water taken at the water bay.

At the water bay in Asbes Street in Ladanna, the water is running permanently because the tap is not closed properly by people filling water tankers. The water meter does not work.

The water meter at the water bay in Vermekuliet Street is also not working. No officials or guards of the Municipality are deployed at water bays and there are further no cameras installed.

The abovementioned indicates clearly that water bays are not monitored at all and we suspect that more water is loaded than what can possibly be distributed to residents.

 It is clear that an urgent investigation is needed from an external institution regarding payments to the service providers of the water trucks and we call on the MM to act.

The DA is concerned that this unaccounted loss of water at water bays is indeed a contributing factor to the persistent low levels of reservoirs in Polokwane.

The DA has over the past months since last year requested commitments to stringent controls at water bays during Water and Sanitation Portfolio Committee Meetings. The MMC, Director and Management Team Officials are all present during aforementioned meetings. It seems that officials have no will to take action or responsibility to solve the problem.

Access to water is a right entrenched in the Constitution and the DA will keep holding the Polokwane Local Municipality accountable for negligent water management and control.

Issued by The DA