Madibeng Local Municipality wastes millions on VBS while residents drown in sewage
28 November 2018
Following oversight inspections to De Kroon in Brits and Refentse Village in Hartbeespoort, the DA was alerted by residents of service delivery collapses, resulting in raw sewage flowing out at 14 different points, contaminating fresh water sources which place the community at a severe health risk. Please see photo here.
There have been reports of an increase of patients being admitted with vomiting and diarrhoea as a result of the contaminated water.
The DA in the North West will write to the MEC for Public Works, Mmule Johanna Maluleke, requesting the North West Provincial Government to prioritise the installation of a new pipeline as the current one overflows into the area’s drinking water.
The DA conducted an oversight inspection to De Kroon area in Brits and found the sewage overflows into streams that lead to the pump station’s purification site where the area’s drinking water comes from.
The Madibeng Local Municipality has failed to find a permanent solution to address this sewage overflow, for years the municipality has been fixing the spill for it to only reoccur a few days later.
The DA later engaged with community members of Refentse Village in Hartbeespoort, where we found a French drain, built at a cost of R2 million, which had collapsed, spilling sewage throughout the village. Please photos here and here.
There are allegations that the tender to build the drain was awarded irregularly and now the municipality will have to fork out R17 million to rebuild a new one.
Just 2 kilometres from the French drain there is a water reservoir running over due to the poor workmanship by the municipality when installing it, this has left residents struggling for water whilst the water from the reservoir overflows on the street.
The area does not have proper roads, residents tried to build a road, but due to the continues water flow, the road has suffered severe water damage.
The DA calls on the MEC for Public Works to conduct an oversight inspection of the Brits area to see the terrible conditions that residents suffer under as a result of the direct mismanagement of the failing ANC.
We call on MEC Maluleke, together with Madibeng Local Municipality, to make a provision and prioritize the installation of a new pipeline to deal with the sewage spill in the Brits and Hartbeespoort area.
It is clear that the ANC is failing to deliver even the most basic of services, the DA is ready to bring change that will speed up service delivery through the maintenance and upgrade of infrastructure.
Issued by Joe McGluwa, DA North West Premier Candidate, 28 November 2018
