No significant progress regarding water situation in Hammanskraal: Mashaba – SABC News

ActionSA chairman Herman Mashaba says there has been no significant progress on the water situation in Hammanskraal north of Pretoria. This is because the residents are still drinking dirty water.

According to Mashaba, only 30% of the multi-million dollar Rooiwal water treatment plant project has been completed. He recently visited the Rooiwal sewage treatment plant.

The people in Hammanskraal and the surrounding area have not had clean drinking water for years. This is due to the aging plant at Rooiwal Sewage Treatment Plant, which dumps sludge into the Apies River, which in turn supplies water to the Temba water treatment plant.

“You can’t clean the water clearly because when you turn on the faucet you can see the smell, which you can see. Sometimes they try to use a lot of chlorophyma. You find the water is clear, but when you try it it causes diarrhea. Whatever they put in there sometimes causes diarrhea in people, ”says Oupa Skhosana, an injured resident.

Last year, the city of Tshwane announced and launched a 2.1 billion R2 project to expand the capacity of the Rooiwal sewage treatment plant. So far, however, the system has not yet been able to perform well.

Clarity is now needed on how the contractors have been appointed and the deadlines set for the completion of the project.

“And the second company is called Orkney’s CMC Water Treatment. These are the two main contractors. We wanted to understand how these two companies got involved. In particular, Blackhead Consulting, whose owner is now on bail because of the failed delivery of the asbestos project in the Free State, ”says Mashaba.

He says his party will conduct its own survey of the water condition and take input from local residents, including farmers.

“So the decision for us as ActionSA is not to lose any more time because the people in Hammanskraal not only suffer from undrinkable water. People die. We have two activists who have been involved in this project for many years. So we decided to have our own public hearings. “

Tshwane City says the work is still ongoing and the project has been divided into four phases, the first of which is worth R 370 million.

Philip Nel explains the MMC for Tshwane City Utilities: “In 2019, a contractor was appointed to complete the first phase of this redevelopment, which includes work on the civil structure, mechanical and electrical systems. About a third of the work has been completed and the project is expected to be completed by May 2022. This upgrade will also include improvements to the sludge treatment system that will reduce further pollution downstream in the Apies River. “

ActionSA’s proposal for public hearings follows the one-day water investigation by the South African Commission on Human Rights.

The South African Human Rights Commission met with the community to inform them about the quality of their drinking water after testing by the CSIR.

The The Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation, David Mahlobo, has urged the city of Tshwane to address the problem of water supply in Hammanskraal and urgently find a solution to remedy it.

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