Note to Editors: Please find attached English and Afrikaans soundbites by Cllr Anelia Smit and Sesotho soundbite by Cllr Diphapang Mofokeng. See attached picture here.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Nketoana has written to the Municipal Manager regarding the Geluk Dam matter to pursue accountability for the apparent misrepresentation of project progress and to advocate for the reconsideration of infrastructure funding priorities to protect water security for Nketoana’s residents.
DA councillors recently conducted an oversight visit to the site where the so-called Geluk Dam project was supposed to be built, after being informed during the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) meeting that the project was already 50% complete.
According to the information presented to the Council during the IDP process, the dam should have been completed by 1 October 2024 and should have contained sufficient water to serve as an emergency water source for Nketoana Local Municipality during the period in which the Katse Dam Highlands Water Scheme tunnel would be closed for critical maintenance work.
The purpose of the project was specifically to ensure water security for communities in Nketoana in the event of severe water shortages arising from the tunnel closure. The project was presented by municipal management as a critical piece of infrastructure.
It is therefore extremely concerning that during the physical inspection of the site, the DA found that no construction work of any kind had taken place. No construction, earthworks, infrastructure development, or any visible signs of a project supposedly already 50% complete could be found.
It is unavoidable that the Council and the public were deliberately misled by the officials and management of Nketoana Local Municipality. It is completely unacceptable for false or misleading information to be presented to councillors during an official IDP process, as this process underpins planning, budgeting, and service delivery to residents.
Furthermore, serious questions arise regarding the reallocation of funds from other essential infrastructure projects to the Geluk Dam project. Among these were funds originally allocated for a pipeline project that would have supplied water from the purification works to Reitz and Petsana, which were instead redirected to this dam project that apparently never materialised.
The necessity of the Geluk Dam project must now be reconsidered urgently. The DA believes that reallocating funds back to the pipeline project is critical, as residents of Reitz, especially in Petsana, are already experiencing severe daily water shortages.
It is unacceptable that residents are left without water while the municipality is forced to transport water daily by water tanker trucks, a temporary and extremely costly solution that places further pressure on the municipality’s already limited financial resources.
Access to water is a basic right, and residents deserve sustainable infrastructure solutions rather than expensive emergency measures and unverified projects that exist only on paper.
The DA will continue to monitor this matter closely and apply pressure until residents receive the service delivery, transparency, and accountability they deserve.