Midvaal’s R220m wastewater upgrade still unfinished nearly a decade after resuming
· Citizen
A long-delayed upgrade to the Meyerton wastewater treatment works in Gauteng’s Midvaal local municipality has drawn sharp criticism from Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation Sello Seitlholo.
Visit biznow.biz for more information.
Seitlholo used a recent oversight visit to warn that stalled sanitation infrastructure is putting the country’s water resources at serious risk.
The R220 million project to upgrade the Meyerton works, which resumed in 2017, remains incomplete.
According to the department, the project is in its third and final phase despite two phases already having been finished.
“Meyerton wastewater treatment works project was funded by the department of water and sanitation through its regional bulk infrastructure grant. ” it said.
“With Rand Water appointed as the implementing agent, the project is meant to improve sanitation services and ensure that the effluent treated at the plant meets the required standards.”
It said the project was designed to expand the plant’s treatment capacity from 10 megalitres a day to 25 megalitres a day.
What has caused the delays at Meyerton wastewater works?
The construction setbacks have been linked to a combination of issues.
“Project delays have been attributed to contractor cash flow constraints, payment challenges and persistent rainfall, which has disrupted construction,” the department said.
In response, Rand Water has moved to stabilise the project by resolving outstanding payment disputes, re-engaging subcontractors and stepping up construction activity to recover the time lost.
Additionally, the utility appointed as the implementing agent promised to complete the project within the current financial year.
The water utility also pointed out that the sanitation pressures facing Midvaal are not isolated to that municipality alone, but are part of a broader challenge affecting the entire Sedibeng district.
Deputy minister raises alarm over water value chain risks
Seitlholo conducted the oversight visit alongside Rand Water CEO Sipho Mosai, Midvaal mayor Peter Teixeira, Sedibeng district mayor Lerato Maloka and Vaal-Orange Catchment Management Agency chair Desmond Fransman.
During the visit, he made clear that the delays carried consequences far beyond the construction site.
“If we do not take care of the value chain, how are we going to secure the quality of the end of the value chain? How are we going to give people clean drinking water?” he said.
He stressed that water resources form the very foundation of the water value chain and that protecting those resources at the source is just as critical as ensuring that safe, clean water ultimately reaches households.
“I am concerned about the beginning of the water value chain and this has propelled me to engage with stakeholders in the country on how to fundamentally get to a point where our water resources, tributaries, rivers and dams are not being infiltrated by millions of litres of raw sewerage every day,” Seitlholo said.
Which communities stand to benefit from the completed upgrade?
The department said once the upgrade is finalised, it is expected to deliver meaningful improvements to sanitation services across several communities in the Midvaal area.
Additional areas that will benefit from the success of the project include Rothdene, Meyerton, Rus Ter Vaal and the Sicelo Shiceka informal settlement, as well as surrounding industrial areas.
Seitlholo underscored the broader significance of getting the infrastructure right.
He cautioned that continued failures in wastewater management would threaten not just local water resources, but the country’s water security as a whole.
“The department of water and sanitation maintains that the oversight visits are essential to hold implementing agents accountable, resolve bottlenecks, and ensure that infrastructure projects deliver tangible benefits to communities without further delay,” the department said.