Residents across the Alfred Nzo District Municipality, already battling with dry taps, could face many more years without running water because their municipality has failed to spend the money National Treasury has given them for water infrastructure.
Last month National Treasury wrote to the Municipal Manager, Zamile Sikhundla, to inform him that it intends to stop the water services infrastructure and municipal infrastructure grant payments, totalling R384 million, for the 2020/2021 financial year.
The stop on payments is because the municipality has failed to spend the money it has already received, despite the dire need for running water in the communities it serves.
The municipality has known that their failure to act could result in them losing the funding, as during the 2019/2020 financial year National Treasury withheld an initial R48 million due to their poor performance and underspending.
The Alfred Nzo District Municipality is responsible for water provision to Ntabankulu, Mbizana, Matatiele and Umzimvubu local municipalities.
The withholding of these funds will have a catastrophic impact on communities in the Alfred Nzo region, where residents are already being deprived of their basic human right to clean drinking water.
More specifically, the following projects will be directly impacted:
- In the Mbizana Municipality the Bizana Water Scheme in Bizana town will not be completed.
- In the Umzimvubu Municipality residents in the villages of Ncome, Gxaku, luyemgweni and Ambrose might be without water for another five years.
- In the Matatiele Municipality the villages of Fobane, Mangolong and Thafa will also not have fresh drinking water until 2024, and the villages of Ngcwengane, Sifolweni and Phamlavile will not benefit from the completion of a R86 million rand water scheme to the area.
- Also in the Matatiele Municipality the villages of Mahlake, Purutle, Zingcuka and Ramafole will not see any new project for water provision until 2027.
- In the Ntabankulu Municipality the villages of Bhakubha, Bhonxa and Dlantaka will also struggle on without running water.
The DA will submit a motion in council to demand that the municipality makes its response to National Treasury available, and that a full breakdown on why Alfred Nzo was unable to spend this funding, be made available.
The DA will continue to hold this municipality to account and fight for the rights and dignity of the people of the Alfred Nzo District municipality.