Durban - The Mhlathuze water board has hit the ground running in its effort to implement a directive from the minister of water and sanitation that it should help the semi-arid Umkhanyakude district municipality to solve its decades-long water crisis.
Although facing its internal troubles like alleged procurement corruption and low staff morale, the Richards Bay-based water entity says some areas in the district will have water as early as next month.
This is while others areas in the district would have clean water by March next year since it is a matter of reviving dormant water infrastructure and pumping the water.
On Tuesday this week, the water entity met with the political leadership of the district municipality which is made up of Mtubatuba, Jozini, Big Five Hlabisa and Mhlabuyalingana local municipalities.
At the end of the meeting, they agreed to hit the ground running and get the water to the people.
UPDATE: Following a meeting between the Mhlathuze water board & Umkhanyakude district to solve the area's water crisis, a plan was hatched to first revive dormant lines. In that regard, some areas under the district will get their water from Jozini dam as early next month. @IOL
— Sihle Mavuso (@ZANewsFlash) October 27, 2022
The meeting followed a historic decision by the Department of Water and Sanitation under Minister Senzo Mchunu to end 50 years of exclusive monopoly of the use of the water from the gigantic Jozini dam by white commercial farmers.
In May this year, the district municipality was granted a licence to use the dam. However, it turned out that they were failing to properly utilise it.
That prompted the department to rope in Mhlathuze water, one of its entities, to help the district.
In a joint statement issued following the meeting on Tuesday, Mhlathuze water said the wait is over.
“In its presentation, Mhlathuze Water said preliminary inspections had identified several existing water infrastructure projects in the area that could be resuscitated back to usefulness within a very short space of time.
“Under Phase 1 of the project, which will begin next month, priority will be given to the rehabilitation of an elevated steel water tank, damaged or missing pipelines and the installation of a booster pump in the areas of Sikhemelele and Mtikini.
A pump station in the Mgabadeli area will also be refurbished. This means that communities from the identified areas will have access to safe drinking water before Christmas.
“In the next phase of the project, expected to begin in March 2023, Mhlathuze Water will embark on larger bulk water infrastructure work in the uMhlabuyalingana, Jozini, Big 5 Hlabisa and Mtubatuba local municipalities,” reads the statement.
The district Municipality's mayor, Siphile Mdaka likened the latest developments to an early Christmas present for the people of the area.
“We are excited by the plans. We pledge our full support for the initiative and we will work with Mhlathuze Water to make sure this project is completed on time,” Mdaka said.
Current Affairs