The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) demands urgent intervention in the growing crisis threatening sustainable water supply in the Tshwane Metro.
The Tshwane Metro has to pay Rand Water for every drop of water it consumes and the licensed water quota is frequently exceeded.
A serious cause for concern is that large-scale illegal connections, leakages and water theft make up nearly a third of the Metro’s water consumption.
One of the primary problems is illegal tapping into water lines, including direct connections to reservoirs. People are, for instance, illegally diverting water from the Ga-Rankuwa and Mabopane reservoirs.
This puts undue pressure on the water system and negatively impacts water supply to law-abiding residents in surrounding areas.
Although the Tshwane Metropolitan Police Department (TMPD) disconnects these illegal connections, they are simply reconnected, leaving paying communities without water.
The situation has gotten so out of hand that people have started to illegally occupy the land surrounding reservoirs, such as at Mabopane, which poses serious health and infrastructure risks.
The VF Plus calls for urgent and decisive action:
- The TMPD should regularly patrol and guard reservoirs, especially high-risk areas like Mabopane and Ga-Rankuwa.
- Proper fencing and security measures should be installed at critical water infrastructure sites.
- The Metro should conduct regular inspections to ensure that law-abiding residents have access to their rightful water supply.
If this situation is not brought under control soon, Tshwane’s water supply could collapse completely.
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