South Africa’s Water and Sanitation Minister, Gugile Nkwinti has warned that as long as the conditions in the communities around water sources such as Hartbeespoort Dam do not change, there will continue to be difficulties, which in turn affects tourism in the region.

The Minister first paid a visit to Hartbeespoort Dam on Friday morning (June 15) to receive an on-site briefing on operations around the dam, one of the department’s critical infrastructures within the North West Province.

The briefing focused mainly on issues of water quality and land, which have become a source of discontent within the community, and are affecting tourism activities that are critical for the economic activity within the area.

Addressing principals during the site visit, Nkwinti said: “Upstream must be properly identified as to where the pollution emanates from. The technical team must inform the politicians accordingly.”

Hartbeespoort Dam is strategic, as it receives the inflow from both the City of Johannesburg and the City of Tshwane. It also forms part of the Mokolo-Crocodile Project that is still under conceptualisation, and is a source for the Brits Water Treatment Works, which is essential for the Madibeng Local Municipality.

In his remarks, Nkwinti said that the issue of the state of Hartbeespoort Dam is raised mainly at the Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation, as well as through media.

“As a member of the Presidential Infrastructure Co-coordinating Commission (PICC), I also receive lots of reports on old infrastructure and particularly dams; Hartbeespoort Dam being one of those that are mainly referred to, especially the pollution in the water. This visit is meant to listen to the officials working with and on the dam, and also see the conditions for myself,” he said.

The presentation also highlighted a need for the infrastructure in municipalities upstream of the dam that need to ensure that they comply with the licence conditions.

There is also a possibility that the review of these licences will assist in ensuring that such compliance, through sufficiently-treated effluent, together with properly operating wastewater treatment works, will reduce treatment costs for the Madibeng Local Municipality.

Economic Development, Tourism and Agriculture Member of Mayoral Committee, DS Maimane welcomed the Minister’s visit, saying that it will enhance the cooperation between the department and the municipality.

“The issue of access to the dam also has racial undertones that cannot be afforded. There is also some information that the municipality received about the possibility of a land claim that might impact on the dam and its use. We would like to see more, Minister, so that we can move together,” Maimane told Nkwinti.