Note to editors: Please find attached English and Afrikaans soundbites by Cllr Werner Pretorius and Sesotho by Cllr David Masoeu.
Residents across Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality (MMM) have been left without water for days amidst a scorching heatwave. First residents of Botshabelo and Thaba Nchu were left without water for more than five days, large parts of the Northern-suburbs (parts of Dan Pienaar, Groenvlei) Heuwelsig, Hillsboro, Pentagonpark, Spitskop) have been without water for several days, and with areas in the West and South of the City also experiencing intermitted water outages.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Mangaung is appalled by the lack of communication and leadership of the governing ANC. Opposition councillors and residents have not sufficiently been kept abreast of the reasons for the water outages across the City, nor has there been sufficient communication as to the mitigating plans taken to supply residents with emergency water in the interim. From the onset of the crisis in the North of the City, the DA requested the City’s political leadership to call a press briefing to inform all stakeholders of the challenges. Furthermore, we requested that a delegation of councillors be allowed to conduct oversight at the Maselspoort Water Treatment Works (MWTW) and other reservoirs and pump stations to ascertain the true state of affairs.
We are highly concerned about the latest communication by the City indicating that the water supply will only be stabilised to the North of the City by Monday, 11 December 2023. Many residents have already been without water for several days. We have also received hundreds of complaints regarding the quality of the treated water in Mangaung and have also received alarming reports of high levels of unprocessed sewerage in the catchment area of the MWTW. We have instructed an accredited laboratory to conduct sampling and testing of the freshwater catchments, as well as processed water (tap water) in parts of the City to ensure compliance. The DA will consider laying complaints with the appropriate authorities once the results of the tests are known, and will share the results with residents.
The DA calls on the administration not to shy away from accountability and transparency. The Executive Mayor and the MMC of Infrastructure must be at the forefront of information sharing and engagement with the public on the issue. We furthermore call on the administration to publish a list with locations and times of water tankers and to assist with supplying water to hospitals, frail care facilities, and retirement villages.
The DA has for years warned the administration about the looming water crisis facing Mangaung, yet the ANC-led government has failed to prioritise this critical service. Our Cllr Rossouw Botes has supplied the administration with a detailed plan to turn around the dire state of water delivery in Mangaung, yet the leadership of the City chooses not to consider our plans. The DA will continue to champion the delivery of reliable and high-quality water for all residents of Mangaung.