Note to Editors: Please find attached English and Afrikaans soundbites by Cllr Brendan Olivier and Sesotho soundbite by Cllr Kabelo Moreeng.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Ngwathe will push for urgent provincial intervention to ensure residents receive a safe and consistent water supply.
Following an oversight visit to the Parys Water Treatment Works (WTW), made at the request of the Municipal Manager, Dr. Mothamaha, the findings were concerning.
The team was candid in admitting that the plant is not functioning as it should.
Current concerns include:
- The facility is not producing or filtering enough water to meet daily demand. Residents in Parys, Tumahole, and Schonkenville are receiving unfiltered water, despite the municipality’s claims that the chemically treated water is fit for human consumption. This is contradicted by residents’ complaints of foul-smelling, undrinkable water.
- The 5 mL/day clarifier is under restoration and expected to be recommissioned in mid-September. Other clarifiers will follow, with full refurbishment expected only by April 2026. Once complete, the plant will produce 15 mL/day, far below the current demand of 25 mL/day.
- Only one pump is operating at Pumpstation 3. Pumpstation 4 is not running, and its standby pump remains unpaid for in Vereeniging. Management denied the claim that a single pump is being moved between pump stations, but capacity remains insufficient.
- The long-promised Eskom line to the plant has not yet materialised. While generators are on site, they cannot sustain operations during loadshedding.
- The laboratory and process room remain non-functional.
- Security improvements are underway following recent sabotage incidents, but many pumps were replaced by staff without supplier installation, risking warranties.
It is unacceptable that Parys residents are forced to drink and cook with water that smells of fish or urine, while the municipality insists the supply is safe. The lack of filtration, insufficient pumping, and delayed refurbishment prove otherwise.
Ngwathe must account for its failures and provide a clear, time-bound plan to restore proper water treatment and capacity.
Residents deserve a consistent supply of clean, potable water, not excuses.