Cogta MEC describes water plant as a crime scene
The MEC of Cogta, Mr Ketso Makume, was clear that Ngwathe and national officials must work around the clock on a turnaround strategy to ensure there is water in areas that do not have it, and that people get clean, potable water.
The MEC of Cogta, Mr Ketso Makume, described Parys’ water treatment plant as a crime scene during an interview on eNCA on Wednesday morning. Reporting on his findings after his visit to Parys this week, the MEC said National Treasury had allocated R22 million to the municipality in the last financial year that was supposed to assist in refurbishing the filters at the water treatment plant. When visiting the plant this week, he heard that R12 million had been spent – yet the filters were not working.
The MEC said this called for an investigation and said the names of the service providers and officials alleged to have collaborated in this corruption were known to him, but added that naming and shaming now would interrupt the investigation process. However, he promised that those responsible would be named once the investigation is completed, ‘even if it is officials, councillors or other prominent people’, and that people should be held accountable.
He added that incompetence, incompleted projects at the water treatment plant in Parys, the cleanliness of water pipes and community members involved in cutting water for reasons not yet known to his office, contributes to the water shortages.
Protest action over the town’s water crisis has had a severe negative impact on businesses and schools once again this week. The MEC said he did address community members on Tuesday, appealing to them to allow specific temporary bypasses to be made to areas that do not have water.
He emphasised that ‘we must allow schools to re-open and businesses to function’, saying we cannot right one wrong with another.
He expected a preliminary report from the Ngwathe executive mayor, Ms Victoria de Beer, and the team he had left in Parys at 14:00 on Wednesday, 17 May, after his discussions with the mayor, exco members and officials in the municipality’s technical department on Tuesday.
He said Ngwathe and national officials must work around the clock on a turnaround strategy to ensure there is water in areas that do not have it, and that people get clean, potable water.
