Water department to intervene in Lekwa Local Municipality
This engagement between national, provincial and local government was preceded by a visit to the Rooikoppen Pump Station and the Standerton Waste Water Treatment Works for physical assessment.
The minister of water and sanitation, Senzo Mchunu, visited this town in the Lekwa Local Municipality last Thursday on a working session to assess the state of water and sanitation services.
Joined by his deputies, Dikeledi Magadzi and David Mahlobo, Mchunu met with the Mpumalanga Government, led by Premier Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane and the MEC for co-operative governance and traditional affairs, Mandla Ndlovu, and the executive mayors of Gert Sibande District and Lekwa Local municipalities to devise solutions to the challenges facing the communities.
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Mchunu was not impressed with the situation on the ground. “What I see here is a big challenge. What I see here is very embarrassing. What is good is that both the premier and MEC are here. We have to make decisions about what we have seen. We are going to make clear yet very hard decisions,” he said.
In her remarks, Mtshweni-Tsipane alluded that Lekwa has always been a problem and highlighted the importance of an integrated approach.
“Minister, we want to say Lekwa has always been a thorn in our flesh. The Department of Water and Sanitation has assisted, but the problem continues. We are still not making a breakthrough. The challenge has many facets. In future, we need to integrate our efforts. The situation we see here is not good – it is embarrassing. Let us do right for the people of Lekwa,”
she said.
Mchunu emphasised they need to intervene and contribute to the intervention. The Department of Water and Sanitation will contribute about R300m for this purpose.
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“We need to intervene. When I say we, I mean all of us here. There must be intervention on waterworks, waste water works, pump stations and reservoirs both in Standerton and Morgenzon,” he said.
Mchunu called on the municipality to deal with all legally related matters and clean up its image.
In relation to sewer spillages, which were the core business of the working session, Mchunu called for a sequence of actions to deal with the problem.
“People want to see sewer disappear from their yards. They want to see clean water. There is a need to analyse, prioritise and sequence actions – refine and sequence for impact,” he stated.
He also called for the prioritisation of operations and maintenance.
