Lentswe, Klerksdorp - The Executive Mayor of Matlosana hosted the Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation Sello Seitlholo on an oversight visit to assess the status of water and sanitation in the towns of Klerksdorp and Orkney in Matlosana. He was not impressed with the state of the waste water treatments plants and said it is some of the worse he has ever seen since conducting oversight visits to municipalities over the last ten months.
The Deputy Minister said the purpose of the visit was to follow up on complaints received by his office by local communities who have been experiencing various challenges related to sanitation.
The visit went on to explore how a sanitation crisis can be averted in Matlosana and put proper measures in place to mitigate the identified challenges. He said he was very disappointed in the lack of urgency, responsiveness and continued pollution he noticed by the municipality.
The provincial office of Water and Sanitation made a presentation on the blue drop, green drop and no-drop provincial scores with specific reference to Matlosana, identifying the challenges and proposed solutions.
In his input, Mayor Fikile Mahlophe highlighted the efforts undertaken by the municipality to address issues of sanitation, water conservation and water demand management in the city.
He indicated that the municipality is grappling with concerns relating to security, theft and vandalism by Zama-zamas and other criminal elements at pump-stations and Waste Water Treatment Plants. He stated the need for strategic partnerships in addressing such challenges.
He committed his administration to ensure that the municipality will respond timeously to letters of compliance by the Department of Water and Sanitation or its Blue Scorpions, the Environmental Management Inspectors (EMIs) to avoid any legal action against the municipality in terms of the Water Services Act.
The meeting was followed by site inspections to the Klerksdorp Waste Water Treatment Works and places encountering sewer spillages in Orkney, Kanana.
The oversight visit was attended by a delegation of directors from the Department both nationally and in the province, MPs, Members of the Mayoral Committee, Councilors, the Municipal Manager and senior municipal officials as well as representatives from Midvaal Water Company.
Afterwards the Deputy Minister said he hoped that both the Executive Mayor and Municipal Manager have learned from the lessons that day and will significantly increase and improve their performance when it comes to service delivery.
