The Kimberley Prospector

Kimberley residents face a shocking reality: they only have access to water for 7.58 months of the year. For the remaining 4.42 months, they are forced to live without water. This is due to a combination of factors, including inadequate infrastructure, poor maintenance, and mismanagement.

One of the main problems is the Newton Reservoir, which is the city’s main water storage facility. One of the dams at the reservoir complex, a 45 megaliter dam, has been empty for years, and the municipality has failed to address critical issues. As a result, residents are forced to rely solely on water from the Riverton Waterworks, which is not enough to meet the city’s needs.

Another problem is the municipality’s poor maintenance record. Leaks and bursts are common, and the municipality often takes weeks or even months to repair them. This further reduces the amount of water available to residents.

The municipality has been accused of mismanagement. In 2023, the municipality approved a R2 billion program to upgrade the city’s water infrastructure. However, there is widespread pessimism that the program will be successful, given the municipality’s history of inefficiency.

Confirmed, as the Democratic Alliance says that Northern Cape municipalities failed to spend 48% of all conditional grants for the 2022/23 financial year, despite the dire need for infrastructure development. Only 41% of the Integrated National Electrification Programme grant was spent, and only 47% of the Municipal Infrastructure Grant and 56% of the Water Services Infrastructure Grant was spent. This failure to spend conditional grants speaks to bad planning, bad management, and bad processes that ultimately rob residents of basic services. The Democratic Alliance raised their concerns about this in recent committee engagements and will continue to conduct oversight at critical infrastructure and development sites.

The water crisis in Kimberley has a devastating impact on the city’s residents. Businesses are forced to close, and schools are disrupted. Residents have to spend hours each day queuing for water, and many people are forced to go without altogether.

In 2021, 2022 and 2023, the municipality implemented nightly water interruptions from 21:00 to 04:00 daily. This means that residents have no water for 7 hours each night. If these interruptions were to continue for a year, residents would be left without water for an additional 3285 hours, or 4.42 months.

If Kimberley residents experience nightly water interruptions from 21:00 to 04:00 every day for a year, this is how much time they will be without water in a year:

Months: 4.42 months
Weeks: 19.57 weeks
Days: 136.88 days
Hours: 3285 hours
Minutes: 197100 minutes
Seconds: 11826000 seconds

The water crisis in Kimberley is a human rights crisis. Residents have a right to access clean water, and the municipality is failing to meet this obligation. The government needs to intervene and take action to ensure that all Kimberley residents have access to water.

Timeline of the Water Crisis in Kimberley

2023

• October 20: Inadequate infrastructure in expanding Kimberley leaves some residents without access to water.
• October 19: Kimberley’s water crisis: prolonged struggles and frustrations continue.
• October 15: Water crisis continues in Kimberley as filter sand procurement delays fix.
• October 14: Kimberley faces uncertain future as water supply interruption persists.
• October 11: Kimberley water supply update: emergency repairs underway to address water interruptions.
• October 10: Water woes in Kimberley: inadequate pump operation jeopardizes supply capacity.
• October 9: Kimberley water supply crisis: municipality’s incompetence frustrates residents, stability maybe next week.
• October 9: Sol Plaatjes: urgent intervention required to avert devastating water crisis during December holidays.
• October 8: Water crisis looms as Sol Plaatje municipality fails to address critical dam levels at Newton Reservoir.
• October 8: Residents outraged by Sol Plaatje municipality’s water interruption excuses.
• October 7: Kimberley residents brace for another festive season filled with water interruptions as Sol Plaatje municipality admits failure.
• October 4: Kimberley nightly water shutdown fails to address longstanding issue of water supply.
• September 6: Sol Plaatje municipality fails to deliver on promised water restoration, residents left frustrated.
• September 6: Sol Plaatje municipality’s repairs to Newton Reservoir still faces water pressure issues.
• April 5: Notice: Sol Plaatje bulk water supply shutdown not a joke.
• February 26: Low water pressure due to repairs at Newton Reservoir.
• February 25: Proactive steps to secure reliable water supply in Kimberley.
• February 24: Pressure problems with municipal water supply in Rhodesdean, Kimberley.
• February 17: Sol Plaatje municipality suspends nightly water shutdowns.
• February 8: Kimberley residents demand transparency on nightly Newton Reservoir water shutdown.

2021

• March 28: Watch: Cleaning of clarifiers at Riverton commenced.
• March 8: Water quality questioned as prolonged shutdown looms.
• March 4: Living on the edge as water levels at the Newton Reservoir not improving.

It is clear that the water crisis in Kimberley is a serious and long-standing problem. The municipality has failed to address the issue, despite billions of rands in approved upgrades. Residents are suffering, and the government needs to intervene to take action.