DELMAS – On 4 December 2024, Victor Khanye Local Municipality Executive Mayor Vusi Buda addressed the Delmas community regarding the ongoing water crisis. This followed his commitment to respond to the concerns outlined in a memorandum submitted by residents.
Opening his address, Mayor Buda expressed his gratitude to the community for raising their concerns, emphasising the importance of collaboration. “We look forward to engaging with you to find an enduring solution. We are aware that the challenges we face can only be resolved through partnerships between communities and a responsive municipality. We must remain accountable to our citizens,” he said.
The Mayor highlighted several factors contributing to the crisis, including a staggering municipal debt of R1.1 billion, of which 73% is owed by residential consumers. He also outlined measures to address the water crisis, bolstered by a R12 million sponsorship from Exxaro for borehole projects.
Highlighting planned immediate interventions, the Mayor stated that the municipality is set to recommission the Delmas Water Treatment Plant by 20 December 2024, with a daily output of approximately 5 megalitres per day. Buda also indicated that the municipality has identified high-yielding boreholes within Delmas town, which will be re-equipped and completed by the end of January 2025, to be used as a backup during water disruptions.
Sponsored by Exxaro, this project, spanning the 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 financial years, aims to provide additional boreholes in Delmas.
One of the devastated community leaders and Ward 8 Councillor, Diana Bath from the Democratic Alliance political party, commented on the Mayor’s speech. “What is concerning is that government departments still owe the municipality millions of rands. We’re talking about the Department of Health, Department of Education, Department of Public Works, and other government organizations,” she said.
“I’m not quite sure exactly which department, but we have previously, in a Council meeting, asked the Executive Mayor to write to the Premier and request assistance in order to settle the estimated R29 million debt. The government should have its own house in order before pointing fingers at everyone else. The mines are also owing a lot of money, and some of their mines are still not rezoned, which is also really concerning,” she concluded.
