The City of Tshwane has sought to assure residents of Hammanskraal that some areas would be provided with clean drinking water in stages between the end of December and in June next year.
This is according to a joint statement released by the city, the Department of Water and Sanitation, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s office, and Magalies Water.
Executive Mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya said although there has been much progress, the tap water provided is still not safe to drink.
“The City of Tshwane has completed testing of the water in the reticulation network and the tests indicate that the flushing has been successful. However, some minor turbidity is still present, and the water is not yet safe to drink. It will only be safe to drink when the City issues a formal notice that it is safe to drink, which is expected soon,” said Moya.
Hammanskraal has been having water challenges for years, which led to a cholera outbreak in 2023 that claimed the lives of about 40 people.
The outbreak forced government to announce interventions to address the water and sanitation challenges in the area, which included the rehabilitation and upgrading of the Rooiwal Wastewater Treatment Works.
Despite the progress made, the mayor said not all residents would receive water before the end of December.
“A phased approach has been adopted for the provision of piped clean drinking water from the package plant to Hammanskraal. As part of this phased approach, the areas closer to the water distribution storage point will be the first to receive supply. This means that not everyone will get water at the same time, but all areas of Hammanskraal will have piped clean drinking water ultimately,” explained Moya.
The city, and its partners, said the first of the four modules of the package plant was delayed due to unforeseen hard rock ground conditions, but was completed in October 2024.
Once completed, it’ll supply 12.5 megalitres of potable water into City of Tshwane’s reticulation network in Hammanskraal.
“This will enable piped clean drinking water to be supplied to the following areas: Mandela Village, Marokolong, Ramotse, Kekana Gardens (Steve Bikoville) and Babelegi Industrial which are in ward 49, 73,74 and 75.
The remaining modules are due to be completed in March 2025, April 2025 and June 2025 respectively,” said the mayor.
In addition, the mayor said once the other modules have been completed, all areas of Hammanskraal will then be supplied with piped water from the package plant
She said in the meantime, the other areas of Hammanskraal will continue to receive clean drinking water through water tankering.
“This water that is supplied through water tankers is obtained from other Rand Water and Magalies Water pipelines, is regularly tested, and is safe to drink,” highlighted Moya.
