Tshwane coalition welcomes R450m set aside for Rooiwal plant upgrades

The Tshwane coalition of political parties has welcomed the R450m set aside over the next three budget terms for the upgrade of the Rooiwal wastewater treatment plant but says it's not enough to pay for the much-needed relief in Hammanskraal.

The area is grappling with a cholera outbreak that has claimed 17 lives so far and resulted in scores being admitted to hospital.

The city allocated R150m a year over the next three budget terms towards upgrades at the Rooiwal plant but members of the multiparty coalition say R450m is not enough.

The Tshwane coalition consists of the DA, IFP, ActionSA and the Freedom Front Plus.

“The cholera outbreak in Hammanskraal highlights the water concerns there. Even though tests undertaken at various sources by the City of Tshwane tested clean of cholera, the situation underscores the need to scrutinise water quality in Hammanskraal.

“Hammanskraal residents, like all South Africans, have a constitutional right to clean drinking water. Though the challenges have been inherited from previous governments, its origins dating back two decades, the coalition government is committed to fix this dire situation. In addressing this problem, we cannot dissociate from the fact that failures have taken place in the handling of this crisis before 2019 and after.

“In differentiating this government from those that have come before, we must own this fact as a central requirement to solving the problem. This responsibility must be shared by contractors, dilatory city officials and the leadership of the city as a whole that predates the current administration.”

The Tshwane coalition admits that the ball was dropped “in the forensic report detailing failures that occurred in 2019" but moved to reaffirm its commitment to “addressing those very governance failures that have contributed to the situation”.

“As the Tshwane coalition, we are encouraged by allocations made in the 2023/2024 [budget], allocating R150m per year over the next three budget terms to be used for upgrades at Rooiwal. This major investment, totalling R450m is, however, not enough to bring the much-needed and urgent relief required and we are therefore calling on the minister of water and sanitation to take the plight of the residents of Hammanskraal seriously and commit to helping Tshwane with the additional R2bn needed for the phase two upgrade.

“We are further calling on all political parties in the city to put their political differences aside and support the coalition government in approving this proposed budget. The people of Hammanskraal, and indeed all residents of Tshwane, deserve more than political manoeuvring.”

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