Rooiwal Wastewater Plant repair to cost R4bln

The government has announced that the estimated repair and upgrade of the Rooiwal Wastewater Plant will cost about R4 billion.

The Rooiwal Wastewater Plant discharges has been identified of the dirty water in Hammanskraal.

It discharges sludge to the Apies River, which flows into the Leeukraal Dam.  The Temba Water Treatment Works takes the water from the dam for treatment and then distributes it to the Hammanskraal residents, who have been hard hit by the cholera outbreak.

A 2019 tender to upgrade the Rooiwal plant has been shrouded by irregularities, resulting in the municipality paying nearly R300 million for a half-complete project.

The water-borne disease has so far claimed the lives of 23 people in Tshwane, one in the Free State and another one in Mpumalanga.

The Director General of the Water and Sanitation Department, Dr Sean Philips, says the upgrades will be done in three phases.

“The first phase will be to complete the repair project started by the City which is currently standing at 68% completion,” said Philips.

It is planned to start in September this year and end in November next year. The second phase is scheduled to start in October 2024 and end in June 2025, while the last phase is set to start in July 2024 and end in June 2026.

The national government together with the City of Tshwane have announced short-term interventions to assist the people of Hammanskraal.

An improved wastewater technology solution will be installed at the Rooiwal plant that will treat the sewerage better and increase the quality of discharged effluent into Apies River.

Philips says to improve drinking water provision to the residents, Magalies Water will install a portable water treatment plant at its Klipdrift Water Treatment Works near Hammanskraal.

The supply of drinking water from the Magalies Water package plant will also enable the City to stop supplying water using water tankers.

Water and Sanitation Minister, Senzo Mchunu, has reiterated that the Hammanskraal crisis could have been avoided.

He says tests are being conducted to obtain the source of the cholera and a report will be made available to the public.