ERWAT infrastructure collapsing due to non-maintenance

by Cllr. Graham Gersbach — DA Member of Finance in Ekurhuleni

Date: 04 August 2021

Release: Immediate

Type: Media Statement

Under the failing ANC and its coalition partners, the Quarterly SDBIP Report: 4th Quarter Financial and Non-Financial Performance of the 2020/2021 Financial Year for the Ekurhuleni Water Care Company (ERWAT) Annual Report, highlighted the glaring failure to implement much-needed repairs and maintenance.

The report indicated a huge saving of 47% in terms of repairs and maintenance. While on paper, this looks impressive, the rapid collapse of crucial infrastructure indicates how vital it is to undertake this scheduled maintenance. In fact, the report highlights: “This underspend is mainly contributable to scheduled maintenance not being performed “ and further states “Due to these unforeseen circumstances, the department has since experienced a rapid increase in maintenance backlog that has long term negative impact.”

ERWAT’s objective is “To build a clean, capable and modernized local state”, however, the entity is quickly falling behind.

As the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Ekurhuleni, we have been calling for the urgent implementation of modern technology to lower expenditure, one such technology is Bioremediation, which employs the use of living organisms in the removal of contaminants from water, and other environments. This technology has been tested at the Waterval Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) and has been recently approved by the South African Local Government Association (SALGA).

The ANC and its coalition partners* have allowed ERWAT to fail under their watch. Currently, ERWAT has 19 WWTP. Of the 19 WWTP in Ekurhuleni, eight of them are operating beyond capacity.

With an ever-growing population in Ekurhuleni, and ERWAT continuing to underspend on maintenance of WWTP which are operating beyond capacity, we need a forward-thinking administration that can solve and build reliable services for the future.

A DA-run Ekurhuleni will explore new technological advancements and financially sustainable methods to run a corrupt-free municipality.

*ANC Coalition Partners: African Independent Congress (AIC), Pan Africanist Congress (PAC), Patriotic Alliance (PA) and Independent Ratepayers Association of South Africa (IRASA)

Cllr Graham Gersbach

DA Member of Finance in Ekurhuleni