According to DA councillor Maritza du Plessis, Madibeng advised in July that an existing pump at the water treatment plant was inadequate and that a new four-stage, 16-bar pump had been ordered.
“The pump was ordered with an initial lead time of five to six weeks. Nearly three months later, Madibeng now says that the supplier will provide an update once the pump has been loaded onto a ship,” Du Plessis said.
“Residents have faced recurring water supply problems for the past 18 months. Despite repeated escalations and interventions, Madibeng Local Municipality has failed to identify and permanently resolve the root cause of the problem.”
She said Madibeng has also reported a decline in incoming raw water due to a blockage at the raw water pump station.
“At the same time, the municipality has confirmed that the large Schoemansville reservoir is above 70% capacity. This raises serious questions about why the smaller Schoemansville reservoir is not recovering adequately and whether the inlet, valves and supply infrastructure have been properly inspected for blockages, restrictions or failures.”
According to Du Plessis, the DA has repeatedly called for appropriately qualified independent engineering expertise to be brought in if Madibeng’s technical teams cannot establish the root cause.
