After more than 10 years, the City of Tshwane has declared that the water crisis in Hammanskraal is over, with the Magalies Klipdrift Water Treatment Plant’s water now safe for human consumption.
The announcement was made following testing by the Department of Water and Sanitation, Magalies Water, and the City of Tshwane.
According to Nasiphi Moya, the mayor of Tshwane, the water meets all necessary health standards, as confirmed by the latest laboratory results.
Previously supplied by the Temba Water Works, the system was flushed with clean water from the new Klipdrift Package Plant, she explained.
According to Moya, this procedure included careful inspection, disinfection, and rehabilitation to guarantee safety.
Project to be finished by mid-2025
“The completion of the first phase of the project means that at least 12.5 megalitres per day of treated water will be supplied to various areas in Hammanskraal,” Moya said.
“The supply areas include wards 49, 73, 74 and 75, specifically Mandela Village, Marokolong, Ramotse, Kekana Gardens [also referred to as Steve Bikoville] and Babelegi Industrial.
“The successful delivery of services to Hammanskraal forms part of long-term projects by the city and the national government to ensure that the quality of water provided to this community meets the constitutional obligations enjoyed by many citizens in the country.”
According to Moya, the four-phase Magalies Water Klipdrift Package Project should be finished by the middle of 2025.
More areas of Hammanskraal will have access to treated water as each phase is finished.
Continuous improvements to the Rooiwal Waste Water Treatment Plant, which are presently being carried out by the City of Tshwane, will support this progress.
According to Moya, the goal of these two initiatives combined is to give the people of Hammanskraal a dependable and sustainable water supply.
Allegations of corruption
She said: “It is a great injustice that this basic human right was absent for years in this community — a failure that was compounded by serious allegations of corruption surrounding the Rooiwal Waste Water Treatment Plant upgrade tender.
“Addressing the injustice of the failure to provide potable water to the residents of Hammanskraal must include consequence management for the failures and corruption of the initial project.”
The Rooiwal plant has been overloaded since 2004, and the water crisis has persisted, according to former mayor Cilliers Brink.
Said Brink: “The first environmental citations against the city for polluting the Apies River were issued in 2011.
“But conclusively, in 2019, it was found that the water was not potable. That’s when the city introduced water tankers on a permanent basis.”
