“The stench of sewage lingers in the air and is unsightly and unhygienic. It is inhumane to expect people to live in these disgusting and unhealthy conditions.”
SEWAGE is still leaking at the intersection between Mataleng and De Beershoogte despite R5 million being allocated by the Department of Water Affairs and Sanitation to repair sewage leaks in Barkly West.
According to the minutes of the site handover contract meeting, dated June 2019, a R5 million contract was awarded to MVD Kalahari Consulting Engineers and Town Planners (Pty) Ltd for the refurbishment of the sewage pump stations in Barkly West.
Work was to commence in June 2019 and be completed by September 2019.
Dikgatlong Local Municipality independent councillor Mently Bezuidenhout said on Thursday that sewage leaks in Spitskop Road and at Barkly West Primary School had only been temporarily fixed.
“The stench of sewage lingers in the air and is unsightly and unhygienic. It is inhumane to expect people to live in these disgusting and unhealthy conditions,” said Bezuidenhout.
The director of MVD Kalahari Consulting Engineers and Town Planners (Pty) Ltd, Prodigy Phepheng, said that they were appointed by Dikgatlong Municipality as the professional consulting engineers for the design estimate and project management for the bufferzone linking service and refurbishment of sewage pump stations in Barkly West in 2018.
“MVD Kalahari has never been appointed by Dikgatlong Local Municipality for any project of such an amount in the past,” said Phepheng.
He indicated that all work was completed and handed over to the municipality.
“The completion of the bufferzone linking service bulk water line was completed and a certificate of completion was signed in January 2020,” said Phepheng. “The completion of the refurbishment of sewage pump stations was completed and a certificate of completion was signed in November 2020.”
He added that the 12 months 5% retention owed to the contractors by the municipality was still outstanding.
Phepheng went on to say that he had visited the site a few weeks ago.
“It was evident that the leaks did not originate from the refurbished pump stations but the old rising main passing next to the pump station,” he said.
The acting municipal manager of Dikgatlong Municipality, Bakie Tsinyane, said that MVD Kalahari was the consulting engineer appointed for the refurbishment of three sewage pump stations, including the Mataleng four-way intersection and Iris Street where Barkly West Primary School is situated.
“All projects were completed,” said Tsinyane.
She identified the leak at the four-way intersection at the Mataleng four-way pump station as being the result of a pipeline that was leaking from the Professor ZK Matthews Hospital.
“Discussions were held with Professor ZK Matthews Hospital to repair the pipeline since it is their responsibility. Both parties agreed that ZK Matthews is responsible for the pipeline and not the municipality.
“ZK Matthews Hospital has indicated that they have commenced with the supply chain management process to appoint a service provider to fix the pipeline.”
Tsinyane added that the municipality and the hospital technical teams were on site to conduct an assessment.
A response is still awaited from the Department of Health.
