“Basically nothing” is happening in Warrenton to solve the water crisis of more than three months in this Northern Cape town right next to the Vaal River.
This was the biggest realisation to which Marie Sukers, ACDP MP in the National Assembly, came across during her unannounced oversight visit to the town on Wednesday, 24 May.
Sukers was approached by community members for assistance. Her visit to the water treatment plant, as well as to the construction work of an “urgent and speedy solution” to temporarily provide water to residents, caught many councillors of the Magareng Municipality off guard and inflamed tempers.
The nearly 25 000 residents of Warrenton residential areas, Warrenvale, and Ikhutseng, have already been without running water since the end of February after approximately 30 m of the main water supply pipe in the Vaal River was damaged during the flood.
Since then, apparently more than R5,5 million has already been spent to restore the water supply “temporarily”, as well as “permanently and more sustainably”. This money was granted by Cogsta.
The temporary plan, according to correspondence from the municipality, would have been completed in early May. It is still not completed, and residents have doubts about the sustainability of the permanent plan and whether it will be completed at all within the promised four months.
With the outbreak of cholera in among others Parys in the Free State, along which the Vaal River also flows, residents are also concerned about the purity and quality of the water that is sporadically supplied to them by water tankers. The water is apparently not properly filtered at the water treatment plant.
“These processes have now been bypassed. I would reckon we only get about 30% purified water,” says a community leader.
‘They kill themselves buying water’
To wait for the water tankers is something that residents know very well by now. Sometimes they have to wait up to three weeks before one arrives in their neighbourhood while certain residents are prioritised. In addition, they often have to hear that water tankers are “broken”.
“It is all about who is who, and who works where,” a resident of Ikhutseng says, continuing by saying that family members and friends of municipal officials get first priority with water supply.
“We have repeatedly brought this to the attention of the mayor and council members, but they just drag their feet,” he says.
An elderly resident says she barely has R5 extra to buy water, and when she does have a few rand extra, she has to pay others on top of that to buy water on her behalf since she cannot carry the container herself. And R5 worth of water does not get you far.
Residents of Warrenvale and Ikhutseng are therefore forced to cross the busy N12 to either the nearest borehole or the Vaal River. Due to the vastness of the neighbourhoods, some of them have to walk several kilometer on foot.
“When you go to fetch water from the river, you have to take the little ones with,” says a mother of toddlers. A few weeks ago, a grandmother and her grandchild were hit by a vehicle on the N12 when they were on their way to fetch water.
Those who do have transport are allowed to fetch water from the water treatment plants on the other side of town. For that, they have to cross the N12 and the N18, and also drive a bad stretch of dirt road.
Another resident says she and her son both have skin cancer and must avoid the sun on doctor’s orders. However, they often have to walk long distances in the sun to get water. Her husband is paralysed in one arm and cannot help to carry the water containers.
Another resident says her children are getting stomach problems from the water brought by the water tankers, and that her skin is starting to peel from it. Residents agree that the water sometimes smells and tastes strongly of household disinfectant.
“Sometimes the people who wait so long for water are appeased with food parcels. Just like they will be appeased with food parcels and T-shirts before next year’s election,” says a resident of Ikhutseng. He says the flood has brought a new water crisis to Warrenton, but before that the water supply situation in the town was also dire.
‘Solutions’ still not completed
“Where are all the millions that were planted here,” Sukers asked during her overview visit on Wednesday, adding that according to what she heard, the Magareng Municipality has requested more money.
The contractor who was appointed for the “urgent and speedy” repair of the temporary plan for water supply apparently withdrew last week due to non-payment. The municipality did not want to confirm or deny this.
According to a letter from the municipality, this contractor was instructed on 26 April to start with the temporary solution. Pipes for this project would be delivered within seven days from the date and then it would take another “three to five days to put into operation”, it was written.
The pipes were indeed delivered, but apart from one one pipe lain diagonally next to the river, another one in the river, and a cable or two along the river, no contractor was on site by late morning and no other signs of work was visible.
The work on the “permanent and more sustainable solution” for water supply also seems to be at a standstill. Apart from support clamps attached to the N18 Magrieta Prinsloo bridge, nothing seems to have happened here since early May. The support clamps are attached to the low-water bridge to hold the new main water supply pipe from the water plant to town.
The old fiberglass pipe that was damaged in the February flood spans the river.
Tree trunks and branches have been washed up against the low-water bridge during the flood in February. The new permanent water supply pipe must be attached to these support clamps. However, residents agree that tree trunks, branches and stones will wash down the Vaal River in the next flood and break the pipe.
‘Nothing happens here’
When Sukers, the community leaders, and media arrived at the water treatment plant, on which almost R86 million has apparently been spent since 2020, she was violently prevented entry by a man – believed to be a security guard. Sukers’ husband, Johnathin, who is the ACDP leader in the Northern Cape, was also threatened by the person.
Although Sukers identified herself more than once, and explained that as an MP she may make unannounced oversight visits, access was still refused. More persons, presumably connected to a contractor company, showed up.
After an urgent visit to the offices of the Magareng Municipality and a conversation with Thapelo Jacobs of the municipality, access was finally granted. The visiting group was barely through the gate when they were stopped again for not wearing safety helmets.
Sukers asked the persons on site to provide safety helmets “since they are the contractors”, which they could not provide. Access was subsequently granted “at your own risk”.
A contract was apparently granted in 2020 for the construction of a new water treatment plant on the site of the old one.
The completion date for this was 30 June 2021.
It is still not finished. Weeds growing through sun-bleached equipment are the silent witness that it will not be finished anytime soon.
“Money has been spent here, but nothing happens. That is why they refused us entry.
“Here is a leadership problem, and local government deals with bread and butter issues. No access to water is a serious violation of human rights.
“The problem is that we play politics with basic human rights.
“This is a wake-up call. If we do not get the system fixed now, there will be an implosion in the country,” says Sukers.
Meanwhile, according to posts on the Facebook page of the Magareng Municipality, councilors are busy with “public consultative meetings throughout its six wards”.
On this, a resident of Ikhutseng writes in comments: “I see the public consultations and I think right now all the focus, time and energy will be better served on the restoration of water. All the masses want right now is water in their taps. Everything else and all the consultations are not of any significance.”
As a community leader from Warrenvale says: “We do not only want water, we want better.”
