‘It’s going very well’: Tshwane mayor on Rooiwal plant upgrade timelines
Upgrades at the plant resumed earlier this year after the previous contractor failed to complete the work, with the project now expected to be finished by 2026.
Rooiwal waste water treatment plant. Picture: X/@tshwane_mayor
JOHANNESBURG - Tshwane Mayor Nasiphi Moya says upgrades at the Rooiwal Wastewater Treatment Plant are progressing as scheduled, with phase 1-A set to be completed by the end of January.
The phase involves finishing the work left incomplete by the previous contractor assigned to the plant’s upgrades.
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A company owned by controversial businessman Edwin Sodi was awarded a R295 million tender in a joint venture to complete the upgrades, but failed to fulfill the contract.
This failure is believed to have caused a water contamination outbreak in Hammanskraal last year, which claimed 40 lives.
The Rooiwal Wastewater Treatment Plant is a major purification facility designed to treat sewage water and distribute it to households in Hammanskraal.
Upgrades at the plant resumed earlier this year after the previous contractor failed to complete the work, with the project now expected to be finished by 2026.
Moya said there was no indication of further delays in completing all phases of the Hammanskraal water project.
She said the city was completing the unfinished work, with phase 1-B set to begin shortly after. Phase 1-B will involve refurbishing the plant.
"In terms of that project, it's going very well in terms of the timeline that they were given when they started the project at the beginning of the year. The major output for phase 1-A was for us to start measuring the quality of effluent coming out of that plant," said Moya.
"Most of the problems that we might encounter in the next phases, we have already resolved them. So the teams said they wouldn’t advise us that there would be an impact. But as soon as this phase is done, we do need a sit-down with the teams to make sure that we have a realistic timeline."
In the meantime, Hammanskraal residents are relying on water tankers, but the city is working on an interim plan to ensure potable water flows from their taps by early next year.