South Africa: Department Demands Action Over Kai !garib Municipality's Deteriorating Water and Sanitation Services

Water and Sanitation Deputy Minister Sello Seitlholo has condemned the Kai !Garib Local Municipality in the Northern Cape for failing to implement remedial measures aimed at addressing persistent deficiencies in its water and sanitation services.

The criticism follows the release of the latest Blue Drop and Green Drop regulatory assessments by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), which indicated that the municipality's water and sanitation services have regressed to a critical state, despite repeated non-compliance notices issued by the department directing the municipality to correct the situation.

Seitlholo visited the municipality on Friday, 29 May, to engage municipal leadership and assess progress in implementing remedial actions previously submitted to the department to address the poor performance.

Kai !Garib Municipality is a Water Services Authority, responsible for water supply services and wastewater management in the towns of Kakamas, Keimoes, Kenhardt and Vredesvallei.

The municipality relies primarily on the Orange River and a canal managed by the Kakamas Water User Association as the main water source supplying water supply systems and water storage ponds located at the existing water treatment works (WTW).

The canal originates from a weir alongside Orange River in a small settlement of Marchand, and serves both municipal water systems and irrigation activities, particularly the vineyards around Kakamas.

However, the municipality has a long-standing history of non-compliance in the provision of water and sanitation services and has made limited progress in addressing the identified shortcomings.

According to the DWS assessments, the municipality's 2023 Blue Drop score has dropped significantly to 16.20%, down from 71.42% in 2014. All 16 of its water supply systems are now classified within the critical performance category.

Wastewater services have deteriorated even further, with the municipality's 2024 Green Drop score fell to 0.3%, compared to 13% in 2021 and 34% in 2013. Wastewater treatment plants in Keimoes and Kenhardt recorded scores of 0.0%, while the Vredesvallei wastewater treatment plant has remained out of operation for more than three years.

The municipality has also failed to implement adequate measures to prevent persistent sewage overflows from manholes, dysfunctional pump stations, stormwater systems and oxidation ponds across the four towns. The continued deterioration of this infrastructure has resulted in contamination of local watercourses, posing severe public health and environmental hazards.

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