Former Tshwane mayor Cilliers Brink of the Democratic Alliance (DA) has defended the party’s involvement in the Hammanskraal water project, saying that it was removed from running the city before completing the initiative to provide clean tap water to residents after 20 years of unsafe water.

Brink’s comments come after the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in Gauteng welcomed the provision of clean water to the area but slammed his leadership for failing to address the water crisis during his tenure.

City of Tshwane mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya, of the ActionSA party, confirmed the safety of water supplied from the Magalies Klipdrift Water Treatment Plant on December 8.

The testing of the water was conducted by the national Department of Water and Sanitation.

This comes after the completion of Phase 1 of the project last year, which was aimed at providing clean water to the locals after suffering for 20 years with unclean and dirty water.

This facility now serves Wards 49, 73, and 75, including areas like Markolong, Mandela Village, Ramotse, Kekana Gardens, and Babelegi Industrial.

The first phase of the project will supply at least 12,5 megalitres per day per day to various areas in Hammanskraal, including wards 49, 73, 74 and 75, specifically Mandela Village, Marokolong, Ramotse, Kekana Gardens and Babelegi Industrial.

The remaining phases are expected to be completed by June 2025 and will ensure safe drinking water to the entire community.

Moya said the latest laboratory tests confirm that the water now meets all the required health standards for consumption, after a process of purging and disinfecting the reticulation system, which was previously supplied by Temba Water Works.

“The purpose of the prolonged purging process and accompanying inspections was to ensure that the system is fully rehabilitated, disinfected and safe.”

In addition to the water projects, Moya said the upgrades to Rooiwal Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) are currently being conducted by the city, further ensuring a reliable and clean water supply to residents.

Moya thanked the residents for their patience during the water safety process and took a glass of water to demonstrate to the locals that the water is now safe to drink.

“We thank residents for their patience during the process of ensuring the safety of the water and will continue to work with Magalies Water and the Department of Water and Sanitation to successfully deliver the future phases of the project,” Moya said.

Meanwhile, the EFF’s provincial chairperson Nkululeko Dunga in Gauteng, blamed Brink’s administration for lack of action and “neglect” for addressing the issue.

Brink, who became Tshwane mayor in March 2023, was removed in a motion of no confidence in October last year. He was replaced by Moya, who served as the deputy mayor under his administration.

The motion of no confidence was backed by the African National Congress, the EFF and ActionSA, which led the formation of a new government.

The berets gained two Members of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) positions, in the health, environment and agriculture.

“This achievement marks the completion of the first phase of a four-phase water project in Hammanskraal,” Dunga added.

Hammanskraal has experienced a severe water shortage for years, which led to residents resorting to buy water from vendors, adding more strain to them.

The water crisis worsened in 2023, when more than 20 people died in the area due to a cholera outbreak.

However, Brink has defended the DA’s role in the clean water project, saying that the party was part of it before being ousted.

“After a delay of three months, and what seems to be confusion on the part of mayor Moya on water safety tests, the first phase of the Hammanskraal clean water project is finally ready,” he said.

Brink added: “I am proud of the part done by my own coalition government, especially former member of the mayoral committee Themba Fosi (former MMC for utilities), in driving the project to delivery.”

He acknowledged that there is a lot of work still to be done, but expressed optimism that the project has shown that the government could successfully deliver on important initiatives.

“But my heart warms to think that Hammanskraal residents finally have proof that the government can in fact get good things done.”

The solution of having Magalies Water deliver purified water from the Pienaars River, rather than polluted Apies River, was a significant achievement coming from a collaboration between the national government and Tshwane officials.

“Shortly after my election as mayor in 2023, I met with the then minister of water Senzo Mchunu in Cape Town at a sanitation workshop arranged by the National Treasury, and we agreed to put aside differences between the city and the Department. What followed was sterling work by officials of Magalies and the City of Tshwane to bring clean water into people’s taps,” he said.

“The work done by Magalies Water and its contractors in designing and building the first phase of the Klipdrift modular purification plant has been impressive.”

Once the Klipdrift plant is completed, it will be the largest of its kind in South Africa, Brink added.

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