By Lebogang Mokae
Picture by Tsholofelo Koope
The Executive Mayor for Sol Plaatje Municipality, Kagisho Sonyoni, announced the R2.5 billion Bulk Funding for Infrastructure (BFI) allocated for Water Supply Intervention on 14 June.
BFI is a national program aimed at funding Municipalities and Government entities for infrastructure-related projects valued at more than R1 billion. The condition for this backing is that Sol Plaatje Municipality also contributes towards the fund the National Treasury Department administers.
This fund results from challenges the Sol Plaatje Municipality faced with infrastructure constructed in 1940. Hence the community is facing constant water supply interruption, pipe leakages, a decrease in revenue due to water losses, and other related problems.
The funds were approved during the second round of submission in June 2022 and will be used over five years.
Treasury committed and allocated R1.152b from 2023 to 2026 financial year. The remaining R1.34b will be used at a later stage.
The following projects will be prioritised:
- Riverton water treatment works
- Pump stations
- Bulk pipelines
- Newton reservoir upgrades
- Water network
The Water Supply Intervention project will be implemented in three stages: emergency, medium, and long-term. The emergency phase has been completed, while the medium and long-term phases will be implemented throughout the 2023/2024 fiscal year. The venture is projected to create 1000 jobs provided by service providers.
“Currently, the SPLM does not have internal resources to implement a project of this magnitude. Additional resources and skills will be appointed to ensure the funds are used correctly, including project management, technical, procurement, legal, and administrative resources. We have appointed a registered engineer,” highlighted the Mayor.
Sonyoni concluded by warning communities of continuous planned water interruptions during the stages of implementation.
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