Central SA
Taps run dry again in Kimberley─── KEKELETSO MOSEBETSI 09:48 Mon, 26 Jan 2026
Residents of Kimberley still have no water supply as the municipality continues to battle with infrastructure challenges.
Sol Plaatje municipality said the water reservoirs at Newton had to be switched on Sunday night (25/1) after a power supply fault. An Eskom maintenance team is still busy with the repairs, said municipal spokesperson Thabo Mothibi on Monday morning.
“This is a precautionary measure to avoid depleting the levels at Newton reservoirs. We are consulting with Eskom and should soon provide an estimate on the completion of repair work,” he said, adding the municipality would keep residents updated.
The municipality has experienced unprecedented water interruptions for years, while sewage often runs down the streets of the Northern Cape capital due to old infrastructure.
Over the years, it became evident the municipal budget was inadequate to properly maintain, repair, or refurbish the aged water infrastructure, the municipality has claimed.
In 2023, former mayor Kagisho Sonyoni announced at least R2 billion would be spent to deal with water infrastructure challenges. The municipality had been seeking additional funding to address challenges of aged water infrastructure, he said, which needed to be upgraded to solve ongoing water disruptions and improve water quality.
In 2025, OFM News reported the first batch of pipes would arrive to be laid from Riverton to Kimberley, signalling a critical phase of the Budget Facility for Infrastructure (BFI) project, which is aimed at refurbishing and repairing the municipality's aging water supply infrastructure.
The BFI programme, approved by National Treasury during the 2023/2024 financial year, allocated the municipality R2.5 billion over seven years. During the Medium-Term Revenue and Expenditure Framework (MTREF) period, which began in June 2023, R1.152 billion was allocated to the Sol Plaatje Municipality.
2023/2024 financial year:
- Initial allocation: R86 million (reduced to R40 million by Treasury)
- Additional internal funding: R18.7 million
- Total budget: R58.7 million
- Amount spent: R58 million
2024/2025 financial year:
- Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant (RBIG) allocation: R492 million
- Internal funding: R37.26 million
- First tranche: R110 million (transferred on 2 August 2024)
- Second tranche: R250 million (transferred at the end of October 2024)
2025/2026 Financial Year:
- RBIG allocation: R574 million
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