Dry taps for KZN municipality as SIU probes R60m reservoir contract

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has been given the green light to investigate a new R60m reservoir that has stood dry for two years in KwaZulu-Natal’s water-scarce Amajuba district.

In 2019, the district municipality, which has come under fire for failing to provide water to Newcastle, Dannhauser and Emadlangeni municipalities, commissioned a 20m reinforced concrete reservoir and associated waterworks at Newcastle’s Braakfontein reservoirs to serve more than 40,000 households.

But two years later, with millions already spent, the project is 96% complete and local taps are still dry.

We have reservoirs that go for six months without being fixed, while they only need to have a pump replaced. 

—  Sibusiso Sizani, EFF councillor

After numerous complaints to provincial and national government, President Cyril Ramaphosa has authorised the SIU investigation into allegations of maladministration and corruption  at the municipality, and for it to recover any money lost by the state relating to the R59.93m reservoir construction contract.

At the time the contract was awarded, the district was in ANC hands. Since the last local government elections in 2021, it has been governed by the IFP.

SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said their investigation will cover allegations of unlawful and improper conduct that allegedly took place between August 2019 and September 2023.

He said they would refer any evidence pointing to criminal conduct to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) for further action.

EFF councillor for the district Sibusiso Sizani said the investigation was long overdue as residents had endured water outages for years. He said the reservoir had been near completion since 2021.

“It’s a mess, and the sad part is that residents are suffering. Areas under ward 3 in Newcastle haven’t had water for over 35 years, and they rely on water tankers. This is from the ANC reign until the IFP reign, and it’s even worse now. We have reservoirs that go for six months without being fixed, while they only need to have a pump replaced,” he said.

Sizani said he hoped the investigation wouldn’t suffer from political interference and would lead to arrests, including of politicians.

But Amajuba mayor Prince Ndabuko Zulu said the debacle predates his administration.

“Should any findings suggest unlawful acts, the municipality will welcome the recommendations made by the SIU and ensure that all those found guilty are dealt with swiftly,” he said. 

The municipality is one of several in the province cited in a South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) report this week, which documents how corruption, failure to overhaul infrastructure and bad planning had caused a water crisis that violated residents’ rights to clean drinking water.

The SAHRC list includes the eThekwini, Harry Gwala, iLembe, Ugu, uMgungundlovu, uMzinyathi, uThukela, King Cetshwayo and Zululand municipalities.

The inquiry was held in Durban in August last year. Since 2020 the commission has received more than 600 complaints about access to water.

In its report, the commission found that the water tanker procurement system was being abused for commercial gain, while residents with money and connections receive water deliveries at the expense of those without.

Commissioners said while apartheid spatial planning was the main cause of infrastructure deficits, it was “unacceptable” that this remained  the case after almost three decades of democracy. The commission has asked for water authorities to report back to  it in a year’s time.

It was also recommended that the municipalities urgently address long-standing backlogs in infrastructure maintenance. It said this would include technical measures and reporting to the commission on an annual basis.

The release of the report came as eThekwini was announced as the host of the 19th World Water Conference in 2025.

eThekwini spokesperson Gugu Sisilana said the city had noted the commission’s findings, saying that last year’s floods caused extensive damage to the municipality’s already constrained water resources. She said R30m had already been spent repairing the damage.

She said 56.7% of the water used or lost in the city was not paid for.

“Reasons for water losses include illegal water connections, ageing infrastructure, damage to infrastructure ... and vandalism.”

Sisilana said the city had so far spent R132.8m on 55 new water tankers to service the region.