For Sonia Mabulawe, a resident of Kekana Gardens in Hammanskraal, the simple act of turning on her tap and accessing clean, drinkable water is a long-awaited dream finally realised.
She spoke about her long-time struggles of living without water during a visit by Tshwane Mayor Nasiphi Moya, who officially declared water in the area fit for human consumption on Wednesday.
For almost two decades, people in the area have been forced to use dirty water and the problem was attributed to the Rooiwal Wastewater Treatment Plant’s lack of capacity to purify water.
In a collaborative effort, the City of Tshwane and the Department of Water and Sanitation joined forces to bring much-needed water to the residents of Hammanskraal through the construction of the Klipdrift Package Plant, with Magalies Water serving as the implementing agent.
Initially launched in April by former minister of Water and Sanitation Senzo Mchunu, the first phase was expected to be completed in September. However, the team encountered a rock while drilling, pushing the deadline to October.
The second deadline was also missed due to a fire at a substation in Ekurhuleni, which impacted the mechanical work at the plant.
Mabulawe expressed her relief and gratitude, saying: “We’re thrilled to finally have access to clean water. It’s been a long and arduous wait.”
She also shared her frustration with the previous arrangement, where she had to spend hours queuing for water provided by the municipality through water tankers.
“I am just glad those days are behind us,” she said.
Moya took a sip of water from a household tap to demonstrate her confidence in the safety and quality of the water supplied to the community.
“We are coming to announce to the residents of Hammanskraal that the first module is complete and that water that is flowing in the taps of the areas that are supposed to benefit from the first phase is fit for consumption,” she said.
She said while the city has successfully provided clean water to Hammanskraal, residents will be responsible for paying for this service going forward.
Questioned about how residents would pay for water without meters, Moya explained that the areas without meters had never had access to water before. As a result, meter installation was not previously possible.
“When installation is done, there must be water flowing and the installation will be started by contractors from Monday onwards,” she said.
Her announcement that water is safe for consumption follows the completion of Phase 1 of the Klipdrift Package Plant project last year and extensive testing for water safety.
“The latest laboratory tests confirm that the water now meets all the required health standards for consumption. This comes after a process of purging the reticulation system, which was previously supplied by Temba Water Works, using clean water sourced from the new Klipdrift Package Plant,” she said.
She said the completion of the first phase of the project means that at least 12.5 megalitres per day (Mℓ/d) of treated water will be supplied to various areas in Hammanskraal.
“The supply areas include Wards 49, 73, 74 and 75, specifically Mandela Village, Marokolong, Ramotse, Kekana Gardens and Babelegi Industrial,” she said.
She explained that the package project consists of four phases estimated to be completed in mid-2025.
The provision of clean water to residents comes on the back of a recent announcement by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) that it has completed the first stage of its investigation into the Rooiwal plant tender.
Moya said: “This has reportedly resulted in criminal referrals to the National Prosecuting Authority and disciplinary referrals to the City of Tshwane. The mayoral executive welcomes the news of the completion of the first part of the investigation and is awaiting formal communication from the SIU to the city. We look forward to receiving the report and acting on its recommendations.”