Pretoria - A partnership between the Department of Water and Sanitation and the City of Tshwane with the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) to oversee the embattled Rooiwal wastewater treatment works is well under way.
The idea is for the three-year project to prevent cholera cases in the metro. It is expected to begin in September, with June 2026 targeted as its end date. It is also structured to avoid tender irregularities in the municipality.
The City was hit by a fatal cholera outbreak in Hammanskraal, while scores of people were hospitalised.
Last week, at a National Press Club media briefing, the Water Research Commission announced it had not reached a conclusion on the source of the cholera outbreak in Hammanskraal.
It is widely believed that Rooiwal Waste Water Treatment Plant, at 100% capacity, has been negatively affecting the Apies River, which in turn affects the Temba Water Treatment Works, which affects the Leeukraal Dam that reaches consumers.
Mayor Cilliers Brink had initially said the metro had set aside R450 million for Rooiwal to be allocated over a three-year period. “In that agreement, we also want DBSA’s processes to be competitive, fair and transparent. We must make sure the money of the people of Pretoria is spent effectively.”
A plan was under way, involving the Tshwane municipality and national government, to work on a financing plan with the DBSA for the funding of the Rooiwal plant upgrades.
However, projections from the department's director-general, Dr Sean Phillips, are that the project will cost R4 billion over a period of three years.
The DBSA has roped in the National Treasury to source funding to begin the project, meant to fast-track the improvement of wastewater technology installed at Rooiwal, which will increase the quality of water that reaches the Apies River.
Another plan for Magalies water, which began this month, was to install a potable water “packaged plant" at its Klipdrift Water Treatment Works near Hammanskraal to ensure quality water supply. There is an existing connection between the works and the piped water distribution system in Hammanskraal.
Pretoria News