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The Minister of Water and Sanitation, Mr Senzo Mchunu says the new Masodi Waste Water Treatment Works that is being constructed in Mokopane, in the Mogalakwena Local Municipality in Limpopo will serve as a model for other municipalities to follow suit and embrace partnerships and collaborations with private sector for socio economic development of their communities.

“We are happy on the progress made on the construction of Masodi Waste Water Treatment Works which is currently 92% complete. I am certain that by the end of the year it will be commissioned, and Mogalakwena Local Municipality will be a model to many municipalities in the country in terms of management of waste water and effluent.

“This waste water treatment works project should be a lesson for other municipalities that working with private sector is a way to go in order to improve our service delivery systems and socio economic development of our communities. We also acknowledge the input of Ivanplats in ensuring that the project is expedited and is finished on time. The expediency and the precision that they apply on the work is quite commendable. They have managed to get the project to near completion even before the scheduled timeframes,” said Minister Mchunu.

The Masodi Waste Water Treatment plant, is a multi-year a public private partnership project by Mogalakwena Municipality, and fully funded and implemented by Ivanplats Proprietary Limited Mine.  The plant is being upgraded to produce 10 megalitres a day (ml/d), which will improve sanitation provision to Mokopane and the surrounding areas. It will also enable local industries to have access to the grey water for reuse from the treated effluent released from the plant.

The construction of the biological nutrient removal (BNR) plant, which consists of the plant itself, booster pump station and the pipelines that link the new plant to the existing sewer system, started in 2015 by the municipality but was halted until 2021 when Minister Mchunu intervened and enabled the project to resume.

The Municipality and Ivanplats have signed another Memorandum of Agreement to replace the asbestos sewer pipelines that will connect to the existing Masehlaneng and Sekgakgapeng Oxidation Ponds. The old sewer system is currently not efficient and prone to spillages which resulted in the municipality being taken to court by the department for non- compliance with waste water management.

Minister Mchunu and Deputy Minister Judith Tshabalala carried a site inspection at the Masodi Waste Water Treatment Works as part of a two-day visit to the province on 12- 14 July 2023, to assess the progress of the construction of the waste water treatment plant, as well as the preparation for the upgrade of Olifantspoort Water Treatment Works near Lebowakgomo in Capricorn District Municipality.

Minister Mchunu also conducted a site visit to the much-anticipated Olifantspoort Project site that will be cutting across three of the five district municipalities in Limpopo. Olifantspoort Water Treatment Works will undergo a series of refurbishment and upgrades from 60 to ultimately 280 ml/d in order to improve its performance, capacity, and to meet current and future potable water demands.

The water treatment plant forms part of the Olifants/ Ebenezer Water supply Schemes and serves as a one of the lifelines for drinking water to Polokwane in the Capricorn District.

“Polokwane is in deficit by 30 million litres per day and Olifants water treatment plant capacity is now small and does not meet water demand anymore. With Lepelle Northern Water as an implementing agent, we have come together and have finalised issues of planning, timeframes and funding of the project. So far, we are happy with the planning and preparations to upgrade this water treatment plant,” said Minister Mchunu. 

The Minister also met with Lebalelo Water User Association to assess progress on the Olifants Management Model (OMM) Programme, which is a 50/50 partnership Olifants River Water Resources Development Project between the DWS and Association.

The OMM Programme involves the development of additional water resource infrastructure consisting of the De Hoop and Flag Boshielo Dams along the Steelpoort River and a bulk distribution system to benefit the Sekhukhune District and Mogalakwena Local Municipality.

Issued by Department of Water and Sanitation