Note to Editors: Please find attached English and Sesotho soundbites by Cllr Tim Mpakathe and Afrikaans soundbite by Cllr Erica Moir. See attached picture here.
The DA in Mantsopa has learned that the water treatment plants in Mahlatswetsa and Dipelaneng have remained closed since December 2025. The Department of Labour shut down these water treatment plants for failing to comply with labour regulations.
Nine months without the operation of a water treatment plant puts the lives of the residents at risk of being exposed to cholera and diarrhoea.
In February 2026, the municipal administration brought an item to the Council, seeking approval to declare the closure of the water treatment plants a disaster, and the DA rejected this proposal on the basis that it was a matter of infrastructure maintenance negligence and municipal incompetence.
Despite our standpoint as a party, the ANC majority moved to declare a disaster and authorised the municipal manager to engage various stakeholders for funding.
We have submitted a letter to the municipal manager, in terms of the Council Standing Rules and Orders, requesting that she submit a detailed report on whether the municipality secured funding and what the funding was used for, because the water treatment plant remains inoperative nine months after it was closed.
The DA’s 2026 Local Government Manifesto commits to ringfencing water revenue for water infrastructure, maintaining treatment facilities and ensuring that municipalities invest in the systems that keep taps running. Mantsopa residents cannot be expected to endure months without a functioning water treatment plant because of municipal incompetence.
Water is a basic human need, and residents of Mahlatswetsa and Dipelaneng are entitled to clean running water. We will ensure that the municipality accounts for service delivery issues affecting our residents.