The City of Tshwane says it has paid more than R47m to 103 water tank service providers in 10 months, from June 2022 until April this year in response to the water crisis in Hammanskraal and surrounding areas.
The city told Sowetan yesterday it awarded the tenders on May 14 last year which coincided with the same month that the upgrade of the collapsed Rooiwal wastewater treatment plant project were supposed to have been completed.
The project was abandoned after it was discovered that companies linked to corruption-accused and ANC benefactor Edwin Sodi were awarded the tender irregularly and were paid R292m without finishing the work.
According to the city, the department of water and sanitation took over the water tankers’ responsibility in the 2018/19 financial year for only eight months and paid R8m, with 27 tankers at the time.
The city’s spokesperson Selby Bokaba said there was an increase in tankers required over the years and currently they had 44 total tankers deployed to cholera-hit Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria.
Since the outbreak of cholera, 23 people have died in Gauteng and one person in the Free State.
The number of those treated at the Jubilee District Hospital rose to 260 since Monday May 15. These include patients who have been transferred to other health facilities in Tshwane.
Yesterday, two cases of cholera were also confirmed in the North West. The cases were detected in two men aged 38 and 68 in the Madibeng and Morelete municipalities, which neighbour Hammanskraal.
Bokaba said the City of Tshwane is providing water to 149 informal settlements and farms through 278 mobile drinking water tankers. He said water to formalised areas which includes eight wards are provided for by 15 service providers.
“The substantial increase [in] the budget on this contract was due to the outbreak of coronavirus in March 2020 and the subsequent declaration of the national state of disaster by the president on 15 March 2022.
“…the provinces and metropolitan municipalities were directed to place their focus on areas of overcrowding and this includes households and individuals living in informal settlements, backyard shacks, and hostels, with a particular emphasis on ensuring that there is access to water, pre and post Covid-19 virus, access to healthcare facilities, the provision of subsidised access for households to perform relevant hygiene practices, and steps to allow for de-densification.”
Bokaba said after the lockdown period, it was “difficult” to withdraw the service from the communities.
However, the city resolved to reduce the days it provided water to communities from seven to three days in informal areas. After the cholera outbreak, the city had to increase water deliveries from three to five days. This arrangement will, however, end today, he said, adding the city would then revert to supplying water to communities for three days.
chabalalaj@sowetan.co.za
