The Democratic Alliance in the Northern Cape welcomes the long overdue commitment from the portfolio committee on Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements & Traditional Affairs to hold the Emthanjeni Local Municipality accountable for its consistent dereliction of duty to provide reliable water and sanitation services to residents of Britstown, De Aar, and Hanover.
We called for this intervention following recent oversight visits by myself and local DA councillor, Gerhard Engelbrecht, to the dysfunctional De Aar Waste Water Treatment Works (WWTW). We observed that streams of sewage flowing from this dilapidated plant are contaminating the nearby Brak River, posing serious health and environmental risks to the local community.
We’ve also observed how little has been done by the municipality to improve working conditions at the plant, which was initially raised following a DA-led oversight in 2022, and which has now culminated in criminal charges being brought against the municipality.
Residents have suffered from frequent water disruptions in the past two years. Twelve boreholes meant to provide water to residents pending the refurbishment of the De Aar WWTW were not connected by the deadline of June 2024. Another eleven boreholes used for municipal water resources collapsed. Materials needed for repairs are procured on an ad hoc basis, which delays the turnaround time.
On the rare occasion when water is supplied at an acceptable pressure, its quality and safety for human consumption is questionable. The national department of Water & Sanitation confirmed the presence of cholera in the Northern Cape in October, with water sampling tests done in October and November also confirming the presence of E.coli in water supplied by Emthanjeni.
Simply telling residents to boil water before drinking is no longer sufficient. There must be real consequences for municipal officials who do not take their duties seriously and who expose residents to unnecessary health risks.