Even though Hammanskraal residents have welcomed the assurance of having piped drinking water in the community by 2024, they remain sceptical that the light at the end of the tunnel will truly materialise by next year.
This comes after Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu yesterday presented a briefing in Pretoria as he detailed the plans and interventions being implemented by stakeholders in the wake of the outbreak of cholera in the area in recent weeks.
Mchunu explained that following the installation of the package plant by Magalies Water, the residents of Hammanskraal would have piped drinking water by March 2024.
He said in the meantime, residents would continue to be supplied with drinking water from tankers, with strict monitoring and controls.
The minister said short-term measures would also be taken to reduce the pollution of the Apies River by the Rooiwal Waste Water Treatment Works.
He added that the repair and upgrading of the Rooiwal Waste Water Treatment Works would ultimately result in the Temba Water Treatment Works being able to provide drinking water which met the required standards by June 2026, which could then replace the water from the package plant.
Representatives of the community welcomed the news of the community starting to see clean piped water in the new year, as it was something they had been fighting for over a long time.
Tumelo Koitheng from the Hammanskraal Residents’ Forum said residents and various groupings from the community were relieved that, finally, all the spheres of government, municipality and other role-players were finally on board with getting the community clean drinking water again.
Koitheng said although they were hopeful after the news, they did not believe that March 2024 was a realistic target.
“Honestly speaking, we welcome the announcement and the allocated budget by the municipality, but expecting to have running tap water by March 2024 is simply not realistic in terms of the amount of work still needed.
“They need to upgrade Rooiwal, rehabilitate the Apies River, deal with Temba, and all of that will require the appointment of contractors and getting the right people, all of which happens at a slow pace with government. We see the light, but we will wait for the day we actually see it happening before we can begin celebrating.”