Note to Editors: Please find attached English and Afrikaans soundbites by Cllr Irene Rügheimer and Sesotho soundbite by Jafta Mokoena MPL. See attached pictures here, here, and here.
While Fouriesburg residents continue to wait for reliable water infrastructure, the municipality is considering another extension to the Caledon Raw Water Abstraction Project. Millions have already been spent, yet the project remains incomplete. The DA believes taxpayers deserve answers, accountability and delivery, not endless delays.
Work commenced in July 2024, with an original completion date of March 2026. The revised completion date was set for 31 January 2027, but a technical response dated 28 October 2026 indicates that a further extension is being considered, potentially moving completion to 30 April 2027.
The Engineer has not yet formally approved this extension. The Engineer is evaluating the contractor’s final extension-of-time claim, arising from flooding events.
The Water Services Infrastructure Grant (WSIG) funds the project, with an approved budget of approximately R64.5 million. Work includes installing new pumps and a sand trap mechanism, upgrading the electrical supply and panels, and improving water-retaining structures within the river.
The original project report recorded overall progress of only 40%. Construction expenditure stood at approximately R22.76 million, or 44% of the R50.08 million construction contract. Consultant expenditure reached approximately R13.21 million, or 91.2% of the R14.43 million consultant contract.
These figures warrant further scrutiny to confirm whether expenditure, completed work, and the revised timeline align.
The latest technical response states that the existing abstraction pump has sufficient water available for operation. The contractor is pumping and channelling available river water towards the existing abstraction point and assisting with sediment management.
River diversion works are intended primarily to manage floodwater and allow construction to proceed safely in stages, rather than to prevent water from reaching the existing abstraction point.
Construction must proceed in sequence, with the northern section of the river structure completed before flow can be diverted and work continues on the southern side. The High Cramp structure is not currently on the project’s critical path, with its late start scheduled for early January 2027.
While these explanations provide greater clarity, they do not remove the need for accountability regarding delays, expenditure and a possible further extension.
The technical response recommends that municipal and oversight structures attend scheduled Steering Committee meetings, where the Engineer presents detailed reports on progress, programme matters and challenges.
The DA has already raised questions about this matter in the provincial Legislature. However, we have not yet received the required answers.
Following the elections, the DA will continue pursuing this matter through Council and the provincial Legislature. We will seek answers on the reasons for delays, the contractor’s recovery plan, expenditure against completed work, the extension-of-time claim and measures to complete the remaining work.
The people of Fouriesburg deserve transparency regarding public spending and when this essential infrastructure project will be completed. The DA will continue using oversight mechanisms to obtain answers and hold the relevant authorities accountable.