In a courageous move, Municipal Manager, Ntombi Baart, addressed a media conference last week about the chain of water crises that have blighted this town in recent years.
She spoke frankly about the problems that have caused, and continue to cause, endless water cuts in just about every household and business in town.
In a courageous move, Municipal Manager, Ntombi Baart, addressed a media conference last week about the chain of water crises that have blighted this town in recent years.
She spoke frankly about the problems that have caused, and continue to cause, endless water cuts in just about every household and business in town.
Her decision to speak publicly about these issues is refreshing and shows that our current municipal manager is committed to transparency and to doing her best to avert any future water problems.
The solutions she has proposed might not be to everyone’s liking and some people will ask why did it take so long for anyone to take action? Is it not a case of too little too late?
While these criticisms have some merit, we should not get caught up in armchair debates about what could have been or what should have been.
The important thing now is to take action, and Baart has shown that she is willing to commit herself to action.
The water crisis in Makana is serious infrastructure is in a state of disrepair, we haven’t has enough rain in months and the lack of appropriate skills has made Baart’s job extremely challenging.
She has acknowledged these problems and is taking constructive steps to address them. A draft budget for the next financial year includes funds for water operations;
additional funds from the government’s municipal infrastructure grant will be channelled into water infrastructure maintenance and a substantial loan from the Development Bank of South Africa will be used to purchase much needed capital equipment for the water sector.
The municipality still has to explain details on this proposed loan agreement to Makana residents, but the availability of these funds and the water sector appointments currently under way should ensure that in the future the water reticulation and sanitation systems in Makana are managed more efficiently in the best interests of all.
We sincerely hope that our Municipal Manager succeeds in these endeavours.
