EXECUTIVE MAYORS STRENGTHEN OVERSIGHT AND MONITORING IN STANDERTON WATER TREATMENT WORKS TO ACCELERATE PROGRESS.

The Executive Mayor of Gert Sibande District Municipality, Cllr Walter Mngomezulu, joined by the Executive Mayor of Lekwa Local Municipality, Cllr Sfiso Mngemezulu, conducted another oversight visit to the Standerton Water Treatment Works refurbishment project on Wednesday, 11 March 2026, to assess progress and receive an update from the technical team. The visit forms part of continuous monitoring of the project, which is a ministerial intervention following the Minister’s visit on 21 July 2022, which resulted in the approval of Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant (RBIG) funding by National Treasury.

During the oversight visit, the Executive Mayors were taken through the various work areas on site and received a progress briefing from the technical team. Progress recorded is as follows:-

1. The project is currently 93% complete and is expected to be finalised by the end of March 2026. Once completed, the current need for periodic shutdowns will fall away, which will significantly improve the reliability and stability of water supply to residents.
2. Work done since last oversight visit include bulk pipeline that transports raw water, of 16 filters only two were remaining, mechanical and electrical work completed and training of the Lekwa Municipality electricians to operate the system also completed.
3. Councillors who joined the oversight visit confirmed that  the relevant wards have already begun experiencing improvements in water supply, except during planned shutdown periods which are necessary when contractors integrate new infrastructure into the existing live system.
4. The technical team further confirmed that treated water quality continues to meet the required standards following regular testing. However, when pipelines remain temporarily dry during shutdown periods, accumulated sediment within the system may become dislodged when supply resumes, sometimes causing temporary discolouration until the system stabilises and normal flow flushes the pipelines. The Lekwa Municipality is ensuring that this is attended to.

To strengthen oversight and accelerate progress, the District Executive Mayor has instituted twice-weekly progress meetings with the technical team and contractors to ensure challenges are addressed timeously in order to meet the completion deadline. The public is requested to be patient as there are various challenges encountered during the project such as working within a live operational water system, which requires periodic shutdowns to safely connect new infrastructure. Careful control blasting activities in the absence of as-built drawings for existing water and electrical infrastructure must be applied, which has at times slows progress.

The project focuses on increasing the capacity of the clear water storage tank to ensure sufficient storage for high-lift pumps to deliver adequate volumes of treated water into the district network, to meet the growing supply demand. The Gert Sibande District Municipality is implementing the project on behalf of Lekwa Local Municipality as appointed by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS).

The principals are confident that the completion of the refurbishment will significantly improve the reliability of bulk water supply and strengthen the overall water distribution system serving the people of Standerton. The leadership will continue conducting regular oversight visits and monitoring progress closely until the project is 100% completed and the system is fully stabilised. They request patience of residents during necessary shutdown periods, noting that these temporary inconveniences are part of the work required to connect the upgraded infrastructure and ensure a long-term solution to the water supply challenges in the area