Tshwane mayor Cilliers Brink says R2.5 billion is needed to fix the issues at the Rooiwal water treatment plant.
The failure of the project has contributed to the long-standing water issues in the Hammanskraal township which has now escalated the cholera crisis, claiming 17 lives and leading to hospitalisation of over 60 people.
Speaking following the cancellation of a council budget meeting, Brink said they had set aside R450 million over the next three financial years to address the issue at Rooiwal.
He said they were also approaching banks and national government for additional assistance.
Brink said disciplinary steps were under way against officials implicated in a forensic investigation report submitted to council last year.
“It is horrifying that the death toll stands at 17, which makes it all the more important to identify the source of the outbreak. If we don’t do that, the situation cannot be contained,” he said.
IOL reported that businessman Edwin Sodi’s company, which was appointed for the project, was according to ActionSA, not competent nor did it have the capacity to handle the R295m upgrade on the Rooiwal water treatment plant which has now been allegedly abandoned after the project started in October 2019.
An independent commission of inquiry into the Hammanskraal water crisis, which was appointed by ActionSA in 2021, found that funds which were set aside for the upgrade of the Rooiwal water treatment plant were missing.
IOL