Category: General

The Mayoral Committee last week expressed support for the City’s Water and Waste Directorate to enter into a multi-year professional engineering consultancy services contract. Council approval of this contract is the next key step in upgrading the Macassar Wastewater Treatment Works, supporting sustainable development in a growing catchment.

The City of Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee has provided in-principle support for the appointment of Zutari (Pty) Ltd to provide professional engineering consultancy services for a 32 million litres a day (Ml/d) capacity extension and associated infrastructure refurbishment at the Macassar WWTW. The next step in the journey for the Macassar WWTW upgrade is to obtain Council’s formal approval, and this is an agenda item for the full Council meeting this Wednesday, 29 September.

As stipulated by the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA), Council approval is required where a contract imposes financial obligations on the municipality beyond the three financial years covered in the annual budget for that financial year 2021/22.

What to know about the Macassar WWTW upgrade:

The professional engineering services appointment for the major capital upgrade is anticipated to start in October/November 2021, subject to Council’s approval of the multi-year contract at their next meeting.

Construction activities are anticipated to start in the 2023/24 financial year.

The upgrade is expected to be completed in 2027. WWTW upgrades are technically complex projects, and due to their complexity and magnitude inherently have long implementation timelines. Inflow cannot be stopped or diverted while construction work is under way, and the existing infrastructure must continue to operate and produce a compliant treated effluent during the upgrade process.

The capacity extension will increase the plant’s treatment capacity from the current 34 million litres per day to approximately 70 million litres per day, at a value of approximately R900 million.

Its current size serves approximately 250 000 people and will be doubled to approximately 500 000 people or more.

This large-scale upgrade was planned to be implemented sooner but was impacted by delays that occurred within the Zandvliet WWTW and Potsdam WWTW upgrade projects. These delays were caused by, inter alia, protracted tender appeals from unsuccessful bidders, and a lengthy land claim determination process. Constrained municipal finances limit the number of upgrades of this magnitude that can occur simultaneously.

‘While delays to important capital investment projects are always frustrating, the City must work within the parameters of the MFMA. Mayco’s support of the contract is a welcome development in this process, with the next step being Council consideration. Should Council grant approval, the upgrade work can proceed through its project lifecycle as planned.

‘The upgrade will restore and increase the capacity on site to improve the quality of the treated effluent being discharged from the plant. Currently the Macassar WWTW is designed to process 34Ml/day but can only at present process approximately 28Ml/day. Its design capacity has been reduced due to a failed process unit, which will be repaired as part of the upgrade. While the average inflow rate at Macassar is 27 Ml/D, wastewater has become a lot stronger/full of contaminants than was expected when the plant was originally designed, and the nutrient load contained in the inflow exceeds treatment capacity. Although it will be a number of years before capacity constraints are resolved, stakeholders are assured that the City’s Water and Sanitation Department is making every effort to bring forward completion dates as far as possible. Over the next three years, almost 50% of the City’s R25 billion capital expenditure plan will be invested in water and sanitation infrastructure.

‘This investment into Macassar forms part of a wide city plan to upgrade WWTWs, which are a very important function in treating wastewater that comes into the plant from households, businesses and industries. The City is projecting a minimum R8 billion investment for major WWTWs upgrades over the next 10 years.

‘We want to thank our staff for their commitment and determination to see the Macassar Wastewater Treatment Works upgrade project become a reality that benefits residents and businesses in the catchment area. We look forward to celebrating more milestones at Macassar WWTW,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Waste, Alderman Xanthea Limberg.

Source: City Of Cape Town

The total capacity of dams supplying the Cape Town metro decreased by 0,7% in the last week, from 100,5% the previous week to 99,8%. Daily water consumption for the same period decreased to 750 million litres per day, compared to 756 million litres the week before. At the same time last year, dam levels were at 99,1%.

Dams supplying Cape Town have for the second year running crested the 100% mark – this year sooner than in 2020, when dams hit full capacity in October. Prior to that, dams were last full in 2014.

Some residents have asked how the City calculates a capacity of more than 100%, and what happens with the excess water once dams have reached their full capacity. In terms of the excess percentages, the water depth flowing over the spillways translates to a volume of water temporarily stored behind the dam wall. A percentage exceeding 100% indicates that the dam is overflowing. Water that overflows goes down the rivers and is important for the ecological functioning of these water courses.

While the healthy dam levels are certainly something to be thankful for, we cannot afford to become complacent in our ambitions for water security, and reducing reliance on surface (rainfall) water. Cape Town is located in a water-scarce region, and our climate – particularly in Southern Africa – is proving increasingly unpredictable.

The City is enhancing its management of existing water supply, and it accepts the responsibility that it needs to step beyond its municipal mandate in terms of bulk water supply provision, as we did during the recent drought. In the face of rising temperatures globally, and erratic rainfall patterns, the City is pushing ahead with its New Water Programme, and realising the objectives and commitments laid out in the Water Strategy of building resilience and water security for this generation and future generations, come rain or shine.

As dams are now full, some residents might be questioning whether water tariffs can be lowered to pre-drought levels, when all households, both indigent and non-indigent, were provided six Kilolitres of water per month, at no charge.

Prior to the drought, water purchases by those using high volumes of water allowed for the first six Kilolitres of water to be subsidised. Water usage habits have remained significantly lower than they were before the drought, and there are very few customers today who purchase the volumes of municipal water that enabled a subsidised allocation. The changing circumstances placed the sustainability of the previous tariff model at risk, and left the water and sanitation service vulnerable to climate shocks. It was necessary to build resilience into the tariff model, while adjusting the price of water to a more cost-reflective level. For this reason, the City introduced the tariff model comprising a fixed component, and a (variable) usage component. This provides a degree of security to a sustained operation of the vast water and sanitation service.

It is important to keep in mind that the amount of water in our dams, which we share with several other municipalities, does not directly influence the cost of delivering the overall water and sanitation service.

The City would like to highlight the key points below, to further explain how water and sanitation tariffs are structured and calculated.

The cost of providing the service remains largely the same regardless of how much or how little water flows through the system. Put more simply, the transporting, quality and reliability of the water supply must remain at the same standard, whether people are using a lot of water, or a little.

The water tariff is made up of a fixed part and a usage part. It is a model used by numerous municipalities all over the country and helps provide a reliable water service.

The fixed/variable tariff model helps stabilise revenue streams so that variations in usage patterns, as with a drought response, service operations and maintenance programmes are not negatively impacted. The fixed/variable tariff model helps stabilise revenue streams so that variations in usage patterns, as with a drought response, service operations and maintenance programmes are not negatively impacted.

If the fixed portion of the tariff model was removed, the usage part of the tariff will need to be increased significantly to compensate.

The service includes the treatment and scientific quality testing of water; operation, repairs and maintenance of infrastructure; and transport and treatment of wastewater.

The amount to be recovered to fund the service however depends on how much water is used by the customers.

Many Cape Town residents have sustained the water-wise efficiencies developed during the drought, and as such, water costs more per kilolitre on average compared to the period before the drought. However water tariffs are currently far lower than during the drought, with the 2021/22 Water-wise no restriction tariff a full 45% lower than the Level 6B tariff of 2018.

City water (including sanitation services) costs approximately 4c per litre* compared to around R10 per litre for shop-bought bottled water (*based on first 10 500 litres used and 15mm water meter).

Post-drought tariffs also need to absorb the cost of the New Water Programme (NWP), which aims to produce approximately 300 million litres (Ml) per day through groundwater abstraction, desalination and water re-use by 2030.

The NWP aims to build resilience to the effects of climate change, and future droughts, ensuring a safe, reliable water supply for generations to come.

The City has the lowest tariff increases for services of all metros in 2021/22.

The City does not budget for a profit from the sale of water and seeks to keep costs of service delivery as low as possible.

Residents who are registered as indigent do not pay the fixed part of the water tariff and receive a free allocation of water monthly.

Cape Town’s registered indigent residents are provided the largest water and sanitation allocation, at no charge to the household, in the country.

The City will continue to support registered indigent residents – comprising approximately 40% of households in the metro – with a monthly water allocation at no charge.

Source: City Of Cape Town

The City of Cape Town’s Water and Sanitation Department is planning to shut down the water supply to Vanguard and surrounding areas, from Thursday, 30 September 2021 at 22:00 until Friday, 1 October 2021 at 02:00. This four-hour shut down will allow for the replacement of the 300mm inline meter in Zenith Road.

As part of pro-active maintenance on the Bulk water infrastructure to ensure continued water supply to the residents and in an effort to reduce unaccounted for water, the 300mm inline meter in Zenith Road in Vanguard will be replaced as it has been flagged as faulty.

Careful consideration has been given to the planning of this work to ensure minimal disruption to the water supply in the affected areas. Residents are advised to store water in clean, sealed containers for use during this period and to ensure that their taps are closed to avoid water loss and/or damage when the supply is restored.

This operation will ensure future continuity of water supply to residents.

The City regrets any inconvenience caused.

Source: City Of Cape Town

On Sunday 26 September 2021 a 52-year-old female was arrested after she was found in possession of unlawful ammunition.

It is alleged that Cradock Public Order Police executed a search warrant after information was received.

The following were confiscated at the residence:

* 55 live rounds of ammunition,

* 1 magazine,

* 2 projectiles,

* 11 cartridges, and

* 53 grams of gun powder.

She will appear before the Cradock Magistrates’ Court on Monday 27 September 2021 on related charges.

Source: South African Police Service

The Gauteng Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation together with the City of Ekurhuleni, will on Wednesday, 29 September 2021 commemorate the life of the liberation Stalwart and apartheid activist Sam Ntuli.

The programme which forms part of the provincial government’s Heritage Month activities will take place in four phases to honour unsung heroes and heroines, for their contribution towards the attainment of our democracy.

Sam Ntuli died in 1991 and a was a civic leader and a unionist, who contributed immensely to the struggle against apartheid. His grave was declared a heritage site on the 27th of June 2014.

Source: Government of South Africa

An investigation to recover funds is currently underway after an independent forensic audit report pointed out wrongdoing, maladministration and mismanagement in the process of implementing the Presidential Economic Stimulus Programme (PESP).

The PESP is designed to act as an aggressive injection of income into the creative economy and to assist practitioners and their projects, as well as companies that incurred losses during the COVID-19 lockdown period.

Addressing a media briefing on Monday, Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Nathi Mthethwa, said a forensic report presented to him last week by the National Arts Council (NAC) points to multiple irregularities, ranging from mismanagement of funds, violation of the PFMA, maladministration and over-committing of funds.

“The forensic report also found that certain individuals, including senior management, staff, adjudicators and former council members of NAC, have been the main players and culprits in this,” Mthethwa said.

He said that five (three former and two current) NAC members were found guilty of mismanaging funds meant for artists.

“They violated their own council meeting, where they resolved that they would remain an oversight structure, but they didn’t do that. They went and became adjudicators and got paid for that,” Mthethwa said.

The Minister vowed that those found on the wrong side of the law will be brought to account and consequence management will be instituted against all those implicated in the report.

“We will get to the bottom of this and those who are found on the wrong side of this will face the full might of justice… without fear or favour we will fight any mismanagement of funds in government,” Mthethwa said.

The Minister has instructed the NAC that as they implement the recommendations of the forensic report, they must ensure that if there are funds which were given to people inappropriately, those must be recouped.

In October 2020, the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture entered into a Memorandum of Agreement with the NAC for the delivery of the Presidential Economic Stimulus Programme (PESP).

The value of the project was R300 million, with 5% being retained by the NAC for administration purposes, with R285 million set aside for project funding. R85 million was allocated for job retention, while R200 million was allocated for job creation.

The new NAC Council appointed by Mthethwa discovered that applicants were being approved and contracted for more funding than they had applied for, over 55% of approved beneficiaries had not been allocated funding and the NAC had approved more beneficiaries than there was funding allocated.

Findings of the Independent Forensic Report

The National Arts Council chairperson, Princess Celenhle Dlamini, said following multiple claims of mismanagement of the PESP and complaints from the creative sector, the NAC Council Members launched an independent forensic inquiry.

Dlamini said on 29 July 2021, the council of the NAC appointed an independent, highly reputable and leading international audit, tax and advisory firm Mazars Forensics, to conduct the independent forensic investigation into the implementation of the PESP.

“The investigators discovered a number of administrative failures attached to the PESP programme, as it relates to the failure to adequately resource the PESP project with competent staff, a lack of adequate oversight and review processes resulting in non-compliant projects being approved.

“Failure to meet the timelines for the delivery of the PESP and failure to manage and monitor the process, such that accurate information in respect of approved applications, were correctly captured in the grant management system,” Dlamini said.

Source: South African Government News Agency