Ramaphosa promises immediate clean water to Hammanskraal residents

The City of Tshwane has allocated R450million to upgrade Rooiwal Water treatment plant- a process that could take three years.

President Cyril Ramaphosa paid a visit to Hammanskraal following the outbreak of cholera that has claimed 24 lives in the area. The President was accompanied by Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi and Tshwane Mayor Cilliers Brink.

The trip started off with a tour of the Rooiwal Wastewater treatment plant, where an official who operates the plant detailed the challenges faced in the plant.

ROOIWAL WATER PLANT

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There was no window dressing the aged infrastructures inability to process waste into clean water and there were burst pipes. The official explains that an incomplete tender was the cause of the pipework not being fixed.

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“The problem here is the colour is supposed to be light brown, but because a lot of the defuse pipes that pool oxygen into the water, some have popped, and some have burst. They are not all working, so we have a lot of leaks,” says the official.

Whilst the source of the outbreak is still unknown, the Rooiwal Treatment plant has been fingered since the start of the outbreak as the community has not had clean running water in recent years.

CLEAN WATER SUPPLY

Addressing the community at Temba Stadium, Ramaphosa has promised the community clean water as soon as possible.

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“Immediately what is going to happen is that the City is going to make sure immediately clean water is made available. We will for the time being only be able to do it by the tanks.

“We’re going to get Magalies Water to come and quickly build a smaller water plant which will take six months”

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