The DA in the Mangaung Metro laid criminal charges agantst the acting city manager Tebogo Motlashuping for contravening the National Water Act.
DA Councillors David Mc Kay, Dulandi Leech and Pieter Lotriet laid the charge at the Bainsvlei Police Station on Friday (10/02).
This follows years of problems with the city’s sewer system as well as the clean water supply infrastructure of the metro being inefficient, unmaintained and fast falling into a state of total disrepair.
Mc Kay says the Welvaart Wastewater Treatment Works has been non-functional since May 2022.
According to the report by the office of the auditor general in council on Monday (13/02), only one of nine treatment plants are operating satisfactory. Wastewater treatment are vital to remove and prevent E.coli and other contamination from entering the city’s rivers and immediate environment. To date no action plan has been provided to resolve the sewerage crisis or burst and leaking of the fresh water supply pipes backlog, or repair of the Welwaart Wastewater Treatment Works. This even though several complaints have been laid with the Department of Water and Sanitation.
“Residents report blocked sewerage lines and bursts as well as leaking fresh water supply pipes to the MMM call centre daily, if or when the call centre is operating, the information is passed onto the department. Unfortunately these issues are not always attended too.
“Many complaints are then escalated to the relevant ward councillor by the residents, whom in turn escalates it to the relevant authorities to resolve.
“In this case the acting city manager and head of the department. This however still takes between five days and four months to resolve.”
He says blockages often occur again and again within a very short time or fresh water leaks develop at the same spot.
“This equates to wilful wasteful expenditure, as the municipality must pay for the purified water supplied by Bloemwater, which in these cases literally
are going down the drain. In addition, most of the sewerage and fresh water supply lines are decrepit and have collapsed. The more than 40 km of old asbestos pipes in the metro must be replaced for the problem to be resolved on a permanent basis,” Mc Kay says.
Manhole covers are missing and are not replaced. Not only does this pose a danger of falling into by pedestrians,
especially children, but also allows for a large variety of foreign objects to be cast into the system and aggravating
the problem even further.
“Blocked and overflowing sewers are a public health risk and may lead to decease and outbreaks of epidemic proportions.
“As the the head of the administration and accountable officer of the metro, Motlashuping is ultimately responsible to ensure that the infrastructure of the municipality is sufficiently maintained and efficiently used; that the infrastructure is adequate for the provision of basic services and for the functioning of waste management to ensure adherence to the domestic sanitation standards.
“It is painfully clear that the omissions by the acting city manager to take the necessary steps within his respective
powers to remedy the situation is an offence in terms of the Water Services Act,” Mc Kay said after the charges were laid.
