Water and Sanitation Deputy Minister Sello Seitlholo on Wednesday raised concern over delays in finalising the R220-million project to upgrade Meyerton wastewater treatment works (WWTW), in the Midvaal local municipality, in the Sedibeng district.

Project delays have been attributed to contractor cash flow constraints, payment challenges and persistent rainfall, which has disrupted construction.

The Meyerton WWTW project is funded by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) through its Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant, 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.

Two phases of the project have been completed, while the third phase, which will expand the plant’s capacity from 10 megalitres a day to 25 megalitres a day, is still underway.

During an oversight visit, Seitlholo raised serious concerns over delays in the project and warned that ongoing failures in wastewater management threaten the municipality’s water resources.

However, Rand Water has committed to complete the project within the current financial year and has implemented recovery measures, including resolving payment issues, re-engaging subcontractors and accelerating construction activities to recover lost time.

The water utility further noted that sanitation challenges were not only limited to Midvaal but affected the broader Sedibeng district.

Meanwhile, Seitlholo also emphasised the importance of safeguarding water resources as a critical component of the water value chain.

“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 questioned, explaining that water resources formed the foundation of the entire value chain.

Maintaining the cleanliness of these resources is as critical as ensuring the quality of the final product of safe, clean water delivered to 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,” he continued.

Further, the improvement of the water value chain at infrastructure level with a completed upgrade of Meyerton WWTW will significantly improve sanitation services for communities including Rothdene, Meyerton, Rustervaal, Sicelo Shiceka informal settlement and the surrounding industries.

The DWS 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.

Seitlholo was accompanied by Rand Water CEO Sipho Mosai, Midvaal local municipality Executive Mayor Alderman Peter Teixeira, Sedibeng district municipality Executive Mayor Councillor Lerato Maloka and Vaal-Orange Catchment Management Agency chairperson Desmond Fransman.