The DA in Ekurhuleni called on the Minister for Water and Sanitation, Lindiwe Sisulu, and the Portfolio Committee to ensure that the Ekurhuleni metro prioritises the completion of the Northmead water tower as a matter of urgency.
They also want the metro to provide a generator to ensure an uninterrupted power supply to the pump station.
According to Ward 27 councillor Lornette Joseph, a constant and uninterrupted power supply is required to pump water from the reservoir to the top of the existing water tower and ultimately to the resident’s taps.
“The constant power interruptions experienced in the metro, due to a lack of repairs and maintenance coupled with frequent load-shedding, means that residents of the greater Benoni area are having to endure numerous water outages.”
Joseph added that the delay in the upgrade of the water tower can be traced to poor planning and maladministration in the metro, who have appointed contractors on the project, but failed to complete the job, despite the metro claiming that it was completed on January 14.
The City Times reported on June 18 that the metro was in the final stages of terminating the current contractors working on the water tower.
Zweli Dlamini, the metro’s spokesperson, explained that a new contractor can only be assigned once the current one is terminated and a new completion date will be set.
The DA had since submitted a petition to council voicing the concerns of frustrated Benoni residents regarding the intermittent water supply related to the ongoing delays in the upgrade of the water tower and the fact that there is no generator at the existing pump station.
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