Anger is also growing in community and business sectors against a background of Rand Water attaching ELM bank accounts for municipal debt of over R1 billion, but not making progress as the implementing agent to both clean up and prevent further pollution.
At the heart of concern is that sewage pollution of both township streets and the River has not yet been halted in the new three-year project launched late last year – but independent of Emfuleni Local Municipality (ELM), says organised business.
Fear is also growing that failure to reverse sewage pollution will act as a Covid Omicron virus super-spreader in the Vaal.
National Government has taken the clean-up project away from ELM and entrusted Rand Water as the implementing agent.
But Rand Water has still not set up an inclusive Stakeholder Steering Committee to co-manage the project with civil society, community organisations and the organised business sector and according to Minister Mchunu, to be headed by Deputy Water and Sanitation Minister David Mahlobo.
Talks were held with stakeholders in Deneysville late in 2021 on terms of reference on such a committee but the issue has not yet been finalised and the committee has not yet been constituted.
At the heart of extensive mistrust in the Government strategy and process is that stakeholders from across the spectrum want to see the project co-managed and co-implemented by the Project Steering Committee and not by Rand Water alone.
“The trust deficit is extremely high due to a long history of Government and Water and Sanitation Department ineptitude over more than a decade with the Army, ERWAT and now Rand Water.
“At present chances of actually progressing against this background are looking grim and especially since Rand Water as the implementing agent has not prioritised stakeholders in project decision-making and implementation.
“It is time Ministers Mchunu and Mahlobo establish a permanent governance presence for this project in the Vaal instead of trying to implement everything from Tshwane and Johannesburg where Rand Water is situated,” said Klippies Kritzinger, CEO of the Golden Triangle Chamber of Commerce.
Sources said Minister Mchunu and Deputy Minister Mahlobo were already personally assessing project progress by Rand Water and why a project Steering Committee had not yet been set up.
Rand Water did not react to requests for comment.
