Parts of Free State face water shedding as SA’s water woes worsen

South Africa’s water crisis continues to spread, with multiple regions facing severe shortages and restrictions.

Cape Town is bracing for nine-hour-long water outages due to maintenance, while some Johannesburg residents have been dealing with complete water cuts since Rand Water’s maintenance began on June 22.

Water restrictions in Matjhabeng

Now, the local municipality of Matjhabeng, in the Free State, is set to join the list, with impending water restrictions scheduled to take effect on Thursday.

This has resulted in the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Matjhabeng Local Municipality expressing serious concerns and confusion regarding the discrepancies between the municipality and the Vaal Central Water (VCW) board.

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This comes after VCW bailed out of a meeting set to address the termination of water-shedding in Matjhabeng.

On Wednesday, the party alleged that despite the municipality’s claims of engaging with VCW, the water board has denied receiving any communication.

“This situation underscores the need to address the underlying issues of the municipality’s poor payment rate to VCW, ongoing water-shedding, and the overall lack of transparency from the municipal administration,” said René Steyn, DA Councillor for Matjhabeng Local Municipality.

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Government intervention

Steyn said the DA has escalated the matter to the deputy minister of Water and Sanitation and the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) for urgent intervention and clarity on the water restrictions in Matjhabeng.

“We call on all relevant authorities to provide immediate clarity and take urgent decisive action to resolve these issues, ensuring that the residents of Matjhabeng receive the reliable water supply they rightfully deserve,” she emphasised.

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Planned water shedding and impact

According to Steyn, should VCW proceed with its planned restrictions, it would entail reducing the water supply to 30% capacity.

“This means that areas with better pressure, typically the lowest-lying areas, will see increased consumption, while the highest-lying areas are likely to run dry,” said Steyn.

Riebeeckstad, Hennenman, and Ventersburg are some of the areas which would be severely impacted.

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