The Democratic Alliance (DA) in two Free State municipalities is taking action to address ongoing water and infrastructure crises affecting residents.

In Letsemeng, the DA will write to the newly appointed Mayor, Andrew Visagie and the Acting Technical Director, Mpho Tswene, calling for urgent intervention and proper monitoring to address the ongoing reservoir overflow and water wastage in Petrusburg.

Many residents continue to experience frequent water shortages across large parts of the town, while the municipality’s failure to properly manage and maintain water infrastructure is contributing to unnecessary water losses and placing additional strain on the limited water supply.

The continuous overflow of reservoirs without proper monitoring indicates that water shortages result from poor maintenance and inadequate controls.

The continuous overflow of reservoirs without proper monitoring indicates that water shortages result from poor maintenance and inadequate controls. Substantial volumes of water that should have been supplied to residents are being wasted due to a problem the municipality should have addressed.

“Residents should not suffer as a result of the ANC-run administration’s negligence, and our duty as the DA is to ensure that services are delivered efficiently,” said Cllr. Thabo Nthapo, DA Councillor in Letsemeng Local Municipality.

In Phumelela Local Municipality, the DA will write to the Provincial Department of CoGTA to address the infrastructure crisis in Warden and the municipality’s response to damage caused by contractors appointed by the municipality.

For three years, a contractor has been engaged in a project that has left damaged infrastructure rather than the promised service delivery improvements. Despite official claims that the affected streets remain traversable, evidence reveals ongoing problems with workmanship and oversight, with residents and business owners affected.

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Local businesses are losing clients because their premises have been rendered inaccessible by deep trenches and improperly covered culverts. In several instances, manholes have been left protruding as much as 500 mm above ground level, creating hazards for motorists and pedestrians on major thoroughfares such as Piet Retief Street.

The municipality has attributed the state of the roads to general pothole decay, but the DA maintains this deflects blame from the contractor’s failures in site restoration.

There is currently a dispute between the Phumelela Municipality and the contractors, with neither party willing to take responsibility for the damage.

Recent heavy rains have worsened the situation, causing raw sewage from the incomplete and poorly managed system to overflow into the local river and directly into the RDP homes of Warden residents.

Recent heavy rains have worsened the situation, causing raw sewage from the incomplete and poorly managed system to overflow into the local river and directly into the RDP homes of Warden residents.

The municipality continues to insist on connecting lines to a system in which the primary pump stations remain non-functional due to repeated cable theft and a lack of security oversight.

The DA demands that the Phumelela Local Municipality exercise strict financial oversight as the contract approaches its scheduled conclusion this month. Despite potential delays cited due to recent rains, the party insists that the municipality must not award any certificate of practical completion or release final retention payments until all road surfaces and infrastructure are fully restored to professional standards.

The DA will demand an urgent inquiry into the project’s contract management and the immediate enforcement of penalty clauses against the contractors.