“Thousands have lived without love, not one without water.” – H. Auden
Currently in our town, Hoedspruit, we seem to be playing the game of ‘water jenga’. Anyone who has played this game will know how fragile this game can be – one wrong extraction of a piece sees the whole tower come tumbling down.
It seems the same when trying to get to grips with the water situation in Hoedspruit. ‘All is not good on the western front’ – so as to speak. The frustrating part of this saga, and a saga it is, is that it can be fixed, but the will to do the fixing seems to be lacking.
I managed to corner Marie Helm, who was a Councillor at Mopani District Municipality, and is currently a Member of the Chamber of Commerce in Hoedspruit, where she is responsible for the water and electricity portfolio. She gave me an overall picture of the ‘state of the water in the town’. It was interesting talking to her, and I soon realised that Hoedspruit is very privileged to have people like her and Lizmari Wolmarans carrying the torch for a better Hoedspruit.
The broad picture
When talking about the water in Hoedspruit one must consider two systems – the irrigation system and the river. The irrigation system services 8000 hectares of agricultural land and is dominated by agricultural allotments of water to farms within that area.
All water in the area comes from the Blyderivierpoort Dam, and is gravity fed to all users within the project. Initially, the system was designed to supply water from the dam to the irrigation project and the mines at Phalaborwa. Now of course, and from some time ago (the early 1970’s), Hoedspruit town has come into the picture.
Years ago, the irrigation project consisted of excavated ground channels, but the inherent loss of water initiated a rethink, and a decision was made to install a pipeline that would be far better from an efficiency perspective both in terms of the maximisation of the delivery of the water and the reduced loss of water along the system.
At the stage of laying down the pipeline, the Department of Water Affairs provided some funding, and the farmers were brought into the agreement to contribute funds to make up the shortfall. But on analysis, there remained a further shortfall. This is where Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) came in and got involved in financing the balance for the construction of the pipeline.
The deal was that RMB would finance the construction of the pipeline on condition that the farmers contributed to paying back that loan to RMB. If one looks at the current status of the agreement, the problem is that the total value of the money loaned by RMB is so large (including outstanding debt), that under the current circumstances it looks unlikely that this loan will ever be paid back. This effectively means that the current ownership of the pipeline resides with RMB and not the Department of Water Affairs or the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure. This will only change hands at the time the loan (plus outstanding debt) is repaid in full.
Unconfirmed reports state that the loan amount is currently around R300 million Rand (including outstanding debt) – but this amount remains confidential between the Department of Water Affairs and RMB. It can be confirmed that a letter confirming the outstanding debt was recently sent by RMB to the Department of Water Affairs. Org van Rensburg, Director of MBB in Nelspruit, did confirm that the outstanding debt will NOT be settled by next year, or any time in the near future, so the ownership of the infrastructure will remain with RMB for the foreseeable future.
Operations of the pipeline
The physical conveyancing of the water and maintenance of the pipeline is done by MBB Consulting Engineers (MBB) acting on behalf of RMB.
There are numerous take-off points along the pipeline to service the farmers within the irrigation project. Most farmers have their own pumps to secure this take-off as there is not enough pressure from the gravitational flow to push it through the irrigation systems installed by the farmers.
The whole pipeline system is run by MBB via a digital monitoring system that provides all the necessary information required to maintain and run the pipeline effectively and efficiently. If a pipe bursts, for example, information is immediately relayed to the MBB control centre, and the appropriate action can be taken. This system also has the ability to monitor the flow in the pipeline and to monitor the offtake of water at various designated points. It also monitors the pressure in the pipeline, amongst other things. MBB and the water utility company reside in the same offices, so that communication between the two organisations is seamless and immediate.
On the pipeline there is a pump station called the Parma pump station. This pump station is responsible for pumping water ‘up the hill’ to the water purification plant located in Draskensig, the residential area of the Air Force Base Hoedspruit. This is exclusively what this pump station does. The Parma pump belongs to RMB.
From the Parma pump down the pipeline to the Blyde River, there are two pumps situated on the river called the Essex pumps. Each one of these pumps has double the capacity of the Parma pump. These belong to the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure.
When the Air Force Base residential area at Drakensig was originally developed, there was no Parma pump, and the water was pumped by the Essex pumps out of the river straight to Drakensig. The original plan was that Drakensig, Suikerkop (a small residential area near Eastgate Airport) and at a later stage the airstrip at Eastgate Airport, were all to be included in the water supply chain. At that stage when this development took place Hoedspruit was a very small town. There was no municipality, and it fell under the original Services Council. As a ‘favour’, the Air Force Base (Drakensig) agreed that they would supply the small town of Hoedspruit with water, as they had the capacity to do so. There was no formal agreement entered into between the town and the base, and it was merely considered a ‘favour’ to supply. Currently Drakensig effectively provides Hoedspruit with its water.
In principle the Essex pumps could provide all the water to Drakensig and the corresponding reservoirs, but this does not happen. This is partly due to the pumps not being properly maintained, and the apparent inability of departmental personnel to run the pumps. Those pumps are currently run by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure. The Essex pumps pump water through the same pipeline, and via the Parma pump station to the water purification plant in Drakensig.
It seems that the Essex pumps should effectively be a backup to the Parma pump, if this pump is in any way is compromised. Should the Parma pump break down, the Air Force Base and the town would be supplied with too small a volume of gravitationally fed water to be sufficient for the requirements of both. This of course poses a huge supply problem which should be negated by the Essex pumps providing backup. But for years this backup has not worked effectively, because of the inability of the Essex pumps to be run correctly and maintained in proper and good working order.
MBB have in the past offered to take over the running of the Essex pumps, but this offer was rejected by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure.
The Drakensig system
Within the Drakensig residential area there is a purification plant which consists of six dams. One dam must be maintained every week- so effectively there are five dams functioning in the purification plant every week. All dams are operated on a sand filter system. From the purification plant the water is pumped into the reservoirs where chemicals are added, and the water then distributed accordingly. (The reservoirs are made up of two 5 mega litre reservoirs and one 2,5 mega litre reservoir, giving a total capacity of 12,5 mega litres). The system is currently operating at 150% capacity, 50% above total capacity.
The problem is not the delivery of the quantity of water as mentioned, but the fact that the purification takes time. With the current six purification dams and only five ever operational (because one has to be cleaned every week), there is a dire need for an additional purification plant to be installed.
From Drakensig, the Air Force Base, Eastgate Airport and Suikerkop are supplied from one pipeline. The town is serviced by a take-off point from that pipeline at the resevoir. The Maruleng Municipality is only a distributor/conveyancer of water – they are not responsible for the source of the water. This is done despite the fact that there is no formal contract securing the water supply from Drakensig to the town.
The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure are responsible for the pipeline from the Essex pumps which joins the pipeline from the Parma pump to the purification plants in Drakensig (monitored by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure – part of the problem because if anything happens on this pipeline it is a nightmare to get it fixed). They are also responsible for the pipelines from the reservoirs in Drakensig, to the Air Force Base, Eastgate Airport and Suikerkop. The Maruleng Municipality is responsible for the water pipelines in town.
If the Drakensig reservoirs run dry, the Maruleng Municipality can do nothing about it. They are only responsible for the reticulation of the water around the town. The municipality also reticulates water to the Hoedspruit Wildlife Estate, Raptors View Wildlife Estate, and part of Bosveld centre.
The money issue
From 1994 up to July 2020 the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure was responsible for paying the water utilities to MBB as per the contract. Service departments for example the Department of Defence, Department of Education would pay the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure for the water that they would be supplied. The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure are supposed to maintain the infrastructure. Until 2021 the Maruleng Municipality was supposed to pay the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure for the conveyancing of the water – this is because the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure were paying MBB for the conveyancing of the water from the Blyderivierpoort Dam (to Drakensig) as well as the associated electricity usage related to that service.
But the Maruleng Municipality has only paid for the conveyancing of the water until 2012. From 2012 to 2021 the municipality account owed to the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure stands in the region of R9 million. The reason for non-payment was supposedly because the water quality delivered to the town from Drakensig was not up to standard, which in general was not true, although the quality was not good for a very short period of time and as a result of the 2012 floods. Due to the general non-payment from service departments throughout South Africa, the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure withdrew from paying for utilities and has transferred that responsibility onto the different service departments, in this case the Department of Defence. The Department of Defence has subsequently taken over the payment of the conveyancing of water to the utility as of July 2020 – including the town usage, although the contract for the conveyancing the water remains between MBB and the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure.
Although the residents of the Maruleng Municipality pay for their water usage monthly, the reciprocal payment is seemingly not paid over to the Department of Defence. This begs the question as to where is that money going?
The Parma pump take-off point is critical and this is properly measured by MBB. One of the questions that could be asked, is do Eastgate Airport and Suikerkop pay for their water usage, or is this usage included as a whole in the Department of Defence’s cost and billing? In reality it seems that it is only a matter of time before the Department of Defence starts digging their heels in with regard to the payment for the conveyancing of water to them and the town. In fact, at the time of going to print, it was disclosed to the Kruger2Canyon News that a flow meter had been installed on the 21st July 2023, to monitor water usage, and the Maruleng Municipality will now be receiving monthly invoices for that usage.
What are the alernatives?
The alternatives it seems are simple: taking into consideration that there is enough water in the system and that the water allocation was approved some time ago. It is quite clear that the ability of the utility to provide water is not in dispute, it is the infrastructure that is the major problem in securing a constant and reliable clean water supply to the town.
The municipality that is supposed to look after the town’s bulk water supply is in fact the Mopani District Municipality. Legally Mopani District Municipality is the water service authority in the district of Mopani.
The workable and relatively easy alternative is almost in place. There is land behind Obaro that has already been purchased by the Mopani District Municipality and the pipeline has already been laid to that point – where a water purification plant has been planned to be built. As this pipe has been laid for some time, its serviceability might be questionable – but it is there. This is a Mopani District Municipality pipeline. A pump station should be installed at Zandspruit River where it will join the irrigation pipeline.
A few years ago, and with a company by the name of Zenobia upgrading the infrastructure in town – the construction of this alternative of the current water system was due to be started in 2018 and completed in 2021.
The problem that arose was that the engineer involved in the infrastructure in the town, identified two plots alongside Drakensig reservoirs, but outside of the base. It was originally thought that this land belonged to the municipality, but that is in fact incorrect. The plots belong to a town resident. This resident is not willing to sell that land, which poses a problem as to where the reservoirs for the town would be constructed. This site is the preferred site for the reservoirs as it is the highest point in town, and pipes have already been laid to that point. The town reservoir has to be built outside Drakensig so that maintenance can be conducted on the structure – Drakensig is a National Key Point, and a civilian reservoir cannot and should not be constructed within the confines of the base.
All that needs to be done (if push comes to shove) is to expropriate the two plots with compensation (as per the Expropriation Act 63 of 1975), build the reservoirs, build the purification plant behind Obaro, connect the pipes between the purification plant and the reservoirs, and the supply of water to town will be perfectly secured. As previously pointed out, the condition of the laid pipes is unknown as they were laid some time ago.
The Mopani District Municipality will then convey the bulk water to the town and the municipality will pay them for the usage of the water – quite simple.
Originally Kampersrus and Scotia were included in this plan, but the plan has changed over the years many times, and it seems that these two settlements are not in the proposed mix.
The Drakensig sewage system
The plants at Drakensig are also operating at 150%, meaning it is also operating at 50% above total capacity.
All sewage goes to the sewage plant at Drakensig – BUT it clearly does not work. The evaporation dams take the inflow of sewage from the town. However, if the sewage is ‘running’ at 150% capacity, but the system is only operating at about 30% of its capacity – the net result is that raw sewage has to flow somewhere – and, from a reliable source, it apparently flows onto the neighbouring farm!
There are sewage pumps down Leguan Street (often non-operational and pending confirmation, may flow through Southern Cross School!) and near La Bamba, where a second pump is supposed to run smoothly, the raw sewage creates a dreadful odour and a serious health hazard. These are operated by Mopani District Municipality, and they are supposed to pump all the sewage from the town through to Drakensig purification plant. The system however is dysfunctional.
Consider that Hoedspruit Wildlife Estate has their own sewage plant, Raptors View Wildlife Estate works on septic tanks as does the Zandspruit Estates – so these areas do not contribute any part to the sewage load.
The latest plan according to the Air Force, is that they are going to fix and extend the current sewage plant to accommodate the town until 2040. The new hospital will be directing their sewage through the Hoedspruit Wildlife Estates sewage plant, but the mall (if completed) will be going through the Drakensig system.
Take over
The Department of Water Affairs and Sanitation is very eager to take over the pipeline system, which is subject to a contract between the Blyde Water Utility Company (on behalf of RMB), and the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure. This contract expires on the 24th of February 2024. A reliable source has indicated that RMB will not pass over the ownership of the pipeline to anyone until being paid in full and final settlement for the financed loan (plus outstanding debt).
The Eskom issue
There was an application to Eskom by the Hoedspruit Chamber of Commerce, to exempt the pump stations from load shedding schedules – this was denied. If the Parma pump station is out of power for four hours, Hoedspruit will have no water.
Parma is currently big enough to push through enough required water to the town (if there is no further development and the demand for water stays the same), and as the Essex pumps are controlled by Department of Public Works and Infrastructure who exhibit an element of uncooperativeness, this renders the system critically vulnerable, especially at stages of high-level load shedding. There has been copious correspondence on this matter between the Chamber and Eskom, but Eskom responded (via the Provincial Manager) that an exemption will not be allowed because some consumers on the electric lines servicing the pumps are behind in their electricity payments, and because of that, Eskom will not allow the pumps to be exempt from load shedding.
Further concerning water related matters
The Blyderivierpoort Dam has a capacity for 54 million cubic metres, and a throughflow (water that must flow downstream that no one can use) of around 21,5 million cubic metres. The agricultural allocation is around 8,9 million cubic metres. Hoedspruit has an allocation of around 3,7 million cubic metres. According to MBB, the town uses around 912 000 cubic metres of water, including Hoedspruit Wildlife Estate and Raptors View Wildlife Estate.
Kampersrus, Scotia and The Oaks are allocated about 2,6 million cubic metres – but this is not fully utilised. Kampersrus uses some, Scotia has no access to this water because of simple infrastructure problems that are not being rectified, and The Oaks, and other villages down the line, are not getting nearly enough water!
The Oaks, and most villages down the line, are being supplied by water trucks! The water truck ‘contractors’ will apparently not allow the water installation to The Oaks to be completed – it is not known at this stage who owns the water trucks supplying The Oaks, suffice to say that these trucks are filled in town from the town allocation at various fire hydrants in town including the Springbok Street fire hydrant! This has been viewed on the Town Watch camera system. It has come to light from a reliable source that this supply is offered as far wide as Mabins some 55km away! The water being sourced for free, and allegedly sold, clearly carries a handsome profit.
Other unused installations
After the 2012 floods, it was decided, with a Department of Water Affairs grant, to engage a contractor to sink 11 boreholes to supply emergency water to the town. The boreholes are in the drainage line behind the Kamagelo Centre. All 11 boreholes were installed (at an estimated cost of R12 million) post 2012, electrified and were fully functional. These pumped water into a system near the municipality offices. The system consists of two water tanks and one container – one is a raw water tank, the container is a purification plant, and the last tank is a purified water tank. This facility can supply the town with emergency water.
This system has not been utilised at all since 2012, and is now rusted through, and totally dysfunctional. The system was only run once when the engineers tested it on completion of the installation! The facility is so under-maintained and mismanaged that the lock securing the doors to the water purification facility in the container cannot be opened because it is rusted tight. This is a perfectly workable system that could supply basic water needs to the town in case of emergency – but is totally dysfunctional.
The town should have their own sewage plant – no confirmation could be obtained that land for this type of project is available in town (or just outside). There is, however, a massive sewage plant built at Kampersrus that has never worked a day! The original idea was that all sewage from Hoedspruit would be pumped there, but this idea and project was not carried through.
The future
The problem that Hoedspruit faces is that there are more houses going up on the estates, more houses are being built in town, there could be a densification of the urban area; and all this contributes to an increase in the demand for water. There is no possible way, that under the current system there can be an increase in water delivery since there is not a big enough water purification plant to handle that increase in water usage.
Water must also be secured to the rural settlements like Scotia and The Oaks, and villages down the line, and it will take brave municipal interference to do that. Our policing has to be dogged and we must not, as a community, bow to the ravages of corruption and crime.
The sewage issue has to be posing a serious health hazard to the town, especially with the increase in development and population. That there has been no municipal injunction on this matter is quite unbelievable. Is it a matter of “Nero fiddles while Rome burns”?
If the townsfolk of Hoedspruit had been serious about this water and sewage issue, this matter would have been solved years ago. However, this will take effort, and sadly there seems to be too much apathy within the residents of the town to get things actioned correctly and timeously, and to put their weighted support behind the people that are giving their time and unerring efforts to try and sort these matters out for all of us. The time is now, to get up, be heard, and solve this matter once and for all!
This investigation is ongoing, and more information and revelations will follow.
