Aggrieved residents demand transparency from local department

A group of residents seeking employment opportunities are frustrated by the lack of opportunities and information on a water project near the Potch Dam, via the R53.

Tshepo Chempe, a concerned resident, says he, fellow SMMEs and labourers are fed up with lip service and demand that their concerns and needs are considered.

Following numerous attempts to seek information about a particular water management project near Potch Dam, the group voiced their frustration at the local Department of Water and Sanitation on Tuesday, 17 November.

The group started seeking information on the possible employment opportunities about two weeks ago. According to them, no relevant official was present to provide them with details of the project. The members asked around the site and allegedly heard that the Department of Water and Sanitation was in charge of the project. They also learnt that the communities of J.B. Marks Local Municipality were the beneficiaries.

The members then burnt a tyre in front of the site, hoping to get answers. They felt undermined and overlooked as no local had been hired. According to Tebogo Mngomezulu, another concerned resident, the respective officials (allegedly from the national offices of the Department of Water and Sanitation) arrived later that day. They spoke to the group in the presence of the police. They agreed to meet with them on Wednesday, 11 November, to discuss further how they could assist them. The members arrived the following day, but the officials didn’t show up for the meeting. The group eventually went to the police to report the matter. They were referred to the municipality to get more details and, if they were not assisted or satisfied with the relevant information, they could open a case.

The members went to various sectors and allegedly spoke to the manager of the municipal project management unit. She said she knew nothing about the project and, therefore, could not assist.

On 12 November, the members spoke to a manager at the local Department of Water and Sanitation. According to them, the manager agreed to meet with the concerned people on Tuesday, 17 November. He allegedly gave them his word that he would confirm and finalise the details of the meeting on Monday, 16 November.

When there had been no communication on the set date, they went back to the department to raise their concerns again on 17 November. The police were present and mediated between the two parties as the group felt they were being overlooked and undermined. They then demanded that the offices be closed until their demands were met. Among them were employment for local SMMEs and job opportunities for local labourers (where the minimum percentage of local labourers are employed). They also called for transparency between the local Department of Water and Sanitation and community members and, lastly, accountability, good leadership and no bias. According to the group, the offices were closed from Wednesday, 18 November to Tuesday, 24 November. John Ratombo, the local official responsible for building the water treatment works in Potchefstroom, confirmed that the officials on the construction site were from the national Department of Water and Sanitation. He said they specialised in dams and water canals and were responsible for mega-infrastructure. He added that local people had been employed, however, and that a similar project was going ahead in Ventersdorp. The offices are based in Potchefstroom.

He said the project in question was to refurbish the inlet and a portion of the canal in Potchefstroom. “It is an in-house project, funded from the water trading account, which manages and protects the dams, rivers and canals,” he said. He undertook to request the exact scope of work.

Colonel Adelé Myburgh confirmed that the public order policing officials were present on the said dates. “POP monitored the protest action, which was peaceful. The protestors dispersed by themselves after some time. No arrests were made and no criminal case was opened,” she said.

The municipality was requested for comment, but the Herald had received no response at the time of print.