Ratepayers in Victor Khanye and Govan Mbeki are likely to be subject to a 20% reduction in the water flow.
According to Rand Water, these municipalities are amongst those that have been failing to honour the settlement of their debt.
The bulk water supply company has stated that it intends on exercising Section 4 of the Water Services Act and initiating the curtailment of water flow due to non-payment of water services.
To date, the municipalities owe Rand Water a cumulative overdue amount of R1 billion. It has also emerged that the outstanding debt from these municipalities has reached a critical level.
Rand Water has since turned to the National Treasury and Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs as they invoked the provisions of Section 41(1) of IRFA and declared a intergovernmental financial dispute.
“Previously, we highlighted that in some parts of Govan Mbeki, residents keep on getting low pressure water and no water in other parts of the municipality,” said Trudie Grove Morgan, DA Spokesperson on COGTA to the Bulletin, “The municipality was also marked as a direct threat to Rand Water’s medium- and long-term sustainability”
“In Victor Khanye, we alluded to the dysfunctionality of the municipality’s Technical Service department. This is one critical department that is responsible for engineering potable water, roads, storm water and transport infrastructure amongst others.”
However, in Victor Khanye, this division is led by an acting cadre who was allegedly recommended and appointed because of their political affiliation. Therefore, the head of this department and his cadres in the municipality have seemingly shown disregard for this escalating debt and the consequences.
“Residents in these municipalities deserve to know that the ANC government failed to ensure that there is long-term viability of the water management system,” Said Trudie, “It is high time for the ANC administration to take accountability and make sure that services are provided to the residents.”
Unsound practices of the ANC government have once again proved detrimental to the livelihood of residents. “We call on the department of CoGTA to urgently intervene and hold these municipalities accountable,” concluded Trudie
