Polokwane Municipality cracks down on ‘waterpreneurs’
The Polokwane Municipality has taken decisive action to curb water theft when a deputation from the municipality visited Mankweng last week, targeting the scourge of unauthorised water connections which reportedly has a material effect on the city’s 36% water losses. Officials were accompanied by council chief whip Phetola Rapetswa, speaker Kobela Modiba and member of the mayoral council for community services, Yoosuf Pemma.
The first stop was Moremadi Park in the Mothapo area, where the visitors were met with a startling sight of municipal water infrastructure fenced off by a community member.
“The audacity didn’t end there. A storage tank containing untreated water sourced from the Dap Naude Dam stood as a testament to the brazen disregard for public safety. Even more alarming was the revelation that the suspect was profiting from selling this untreated water to the community, posing a severe health hazard in the process,” municipal spokesperson Thipa Selala reported.
In Thakgalang in Nobody, a resident also tapped into the municipal pipeline illegally, using a pressure pump to facilitate the sale of water to the community. The municipality wasted no time in impounding the resident’s water tanker, a clear message that such actions will not go unpunished.
“Both suspects admitted guilt in siphoning water from the municipality, however, this crackdown is just the beginning. The municipality has pledged to continue its efforts to uncover and dismantle all unauthorised connections, ensuring that precious water resources are safeguarded for the entire community. The message is clear: water theft will not be tolerated as Polokwane Municipality is taking a stand against those who seek to profit at the expense of public health and safety,” Selala said.
DA caucus leader in the municipality, Jacques Joubert applauded the action taken.
“A significant amount of water is lost daily because of illegal connections along the line to the city, contributing to water shortages. The levels of the two 30Ml reservoirs have not been above 30% for at least the past decade and the 50Ml reservoir has not been used in this period at all,” Joubert explained and added that the municipality is currently receiving between 80 and 99Ml per day and is unable to meet the summer peak flow demand of 163Ml per day.
“While the medium to long term plans to address the water crisis are underway, the municipality is not implementing council resolutions with regard to installing smart water meters for Mankweng.
“Should the water losses be addressed, faulty smart meters be adequately addressed and demand management plans be put in place and actioned, residents would have more regular access to water in the short term,” Joubert said.