Mchunu will be flanked by the Deputy President, David Mabuza. They are set to inspect the Wastewater Treatment Plant in Kroonstad on Friday afternoon. They will also meet with the provincial leadership of the Northern Cape on these same issues on Friday morning, before their trip to the Free State. 

Mchunu and his Deputy Minister, David Mahlobo, previously held closed meetings in Welkom with officials from various government entities, including municipalities such as Mangaung Metro, Matjhabeng, and water boards, which include Bloem Water and Sedibeng Water, to address these issues of water and sanitation.

The two are also set to inspect the extent of pollution at the Vaal River where millions of rands have already been spent with the intent to solve the issues.

The river runs through the Free State, North West, and Gauteng, among others.

The departmental spokesperson, Sputnik Ratau, said Mabuza will assess the extent of pollution in the Vaal River System, as well as water and sanitation-related issues in the mentioned provinces. In May 2021, the national government announced that an amount of R1,1 billion will be spent over the next three years for the refurbishment of the wastewater treatment plants.

Ratau said this much-anticipated visit is aimed at addressing the structural and systematic challenges in the water value chain, resulting in raw sewage flowing into streams, rivers, and dams. Various protests have been held across the province, including in Mangaung and Maluti-A-Phofung, where residents have lamented the state of water and sanitation in the province. Qwaqwa residents in June 2020 took to the streets and barricaded roads with stones and burning tyres because of a lack of service delivery, including water, in that area.

OFM News in January 2020 reported that disgruntled residents in the area took to the streets, demanding water after the death of an eight-year-old girl who drowned while fetching water from a river. 

In the response to the violent protests, the then minister of Water and Sanitation, Lindiwe Sisulu, promised to send more water tanks to the embattled municipality. She then vowed to ensure the installation of 5 000 water tanks to alleviate the water crisis experienced in the region. 

Minister Sisulu also announced that the Department’s intervention would be an allocation of R220 million and 5 000 water tankers to address the situation.

OFM News