This is according to the Democratic Alliance (DA) Councillor in the Mangaung Metro, Rossouw Botes, who says the pipeline was planned between the Gariep Dam and the Mangaung Metro. Botes says more than five years since the inception of this project, and after an estimated amount of close to R50 million has been spent on investigations and feasibility assessments, there is nothing to show for this project. 

Botes says the DA has always considered this project to be ill-advised, because the Gariep pipeline would inevitably have made water unaffordable for many residents, as the initial plans require three to four pumping stations to supply water to Bloemfontein.

Botes says if these plans were to go ahead, the residents of Mangaung would have to deal with the additional burden of increased water levies to facilitate the cost of these pumping stations.

“The DA is of the opinion that the most sustainable and feasible option would be to create a pipeline between the Caledon River and Wilgerdraai to Rustfontein Dam, as this would only cost approximately 60% of the cost of the Gariep pipeline and the life expectancy of this water infrastructure would be around 50 years,” Botes says.

OFM News is awaiting a response from the Free State office of the national department of Water and Sanitation to the DA’s allegations.

OFM News/Blaine Jones and Lucky Nkuyane