To secure its water supply, the DA-led Kouga Municipality has acted decisively and requested that the Minister of Water and Sanitation transfer management of the Kromme bulk water system (including Churchill and Impofu dams) from the incompetent ANC/EFF-governed Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality.
The DA fully supports Mayor Hattingh Bornman’s letter to Minister Pemmy Majodina, particularly his proposal to transfer dam management to Gamtoos Water, which already successfully manages the Kouga Dam.
The Churchill and Impofu dams supply water to both Kouga and Nelson Mandela Bay.
While the DA government in Kouga has taken innovative and pro-active water augmentation steps, the same cannot be said for the ANC/EFF-led coalition government in Nelson Mandela Bay.
To reduce its reliance on dam water, Kouga has drilled more than 30 boreholes and completed four state-of-the-art water purification plants to treat groundwater. As a result, Kouga has cut its dependence on dam water from 70% to just 30%, with the remaining 70% now sourced from underground supplies such as springs and boreholes.
Despite these steps, the dams remain essential to Kouga’s water supply. Having them managed by a metro municipality that loses more than half its water is an untenable situation.
Under the ANC/EFF coalition government Nelson Mandela Bay is losing 60% of its water through crumbling infrastructure and leaks, and has also failed to make effective use of water augmentation projects. The City is also over-extracting from the Churchill and Impofu dams, placing Kouga’s water security at risk.
DA Nelson Mandela Bay Mayoral Candidate, Retief Odendaal MPL, took up this fight in January of this year when he also wrote to Minister Majodina requesting that the bulk water competency for the Kromme line be removed from the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, and awarded to a more competent authority, such as Gamtoos Water
The DA commends Mayor Bornman and his team for their leadership and dedication to water security and sustainability.
The Kouga Municipality exemplifies the DA difference in government. Under DA leadership, Kouga is a proactive and innovative municipality with a growing economy, where services are delivered and taxpayer money is protected.