Speaking during a press briefing in Welkom on Sunday (22/2), mayor Thanduxolo Khalipha said the visible sewage overflows are a consequence of extensive repair and upgrade work across the municipality.

Decades of neglect have left the local authority grappling with a crumbling sewerage system, non-operational water treatment plants, and persistent watershedding. These challenges have severely threatened the health and well-being of residents.

Opposition parties and community members have repeatedly raised alarm over the deterioration of services, calling for urgent intervention and accountability. Power outages, deteriorating roads, a questionable billing system, and a widespread sewage crisis continue to compound frustrations among residents.

But Khalipha defended his administrationºs efforts to reverse years of infrastructure decay. “If you remember 2021, the maintenance budget was 3%; today, the maintenance budget of R4.6bn is 20%.”

“As part of maintaining our infrastructure is to ensure that we maintain our infrastructure. If you look around Matjhabeng, it’s a construction zone. There is work everywhere, and that’s why there are areas where there are sewage spillages; it’s because there is work in those areas.”

Significant financial commitments have been secured to modernise the municipality’s ageing systems, Khalipha emphasised. Infrastructure upgrades include repairs to pump stations, sewage treatment plants, and the replacement of outdated pipelines.

‘Removing the old system’

“Like Contantia Road: we are informed by the contractor that by the end of March, the work will be done. You must remember we are fixing pump stations, we are fixing sewage treatment plants, and we are also upgrading lines. It means we are now removing the old system and putting new system.

“We are getting the support from the national government of R4.4bn; no municipality in this province has that kind of support from the national government.”

Security

National government has committed approximately R2.6bn specifically to replace old pipes, said Khalipha. The large-scale project began in 2022 and is expected to be completed by 2028.

Security has reportedly been strengthened at pump stations and sewage plants to curb vandalism, and contractors are now being monitored weekly to ensure project deadlines are met.

Street lighting repairs and pothole rehabilitation are also among the municipality’s focus areas.

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OFM News/Kekeletso Mosebetsi dg