Question NW114 to the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
19 March 2020 - NW114
Shaik Emam, Mr AM to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
What steps has she taken in accordance with section 154(1) of the Constitution, 1996, to support and strengthen the municipality of Louwater in the Eastern Cape to provide their community with safe drinking water and assist with the roads and electricity infrastructure that is still lacking after 25 years of democracy?
Reply:
The town of Louterwater is in the Koukamma Local Municipality (KLM), which is a municipality under Sarah Baartman District. The Koukamma LM is a Water Services Authority (WSA) and a Water Services Provider (WSP), which is responsible for providing water and sanitation & other services to the communities in its precinct.
There have been several challenges pertaining to service delivery in Louterwater on Water, Sanitation, Roads and Electricity, however the municipality has several projects in place that seek to address these challenges.
There is currently a water Project funded by Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) under the Water Services Infrastructure Grant (WSIG) to the amount of R2,2m which is to Drill and Equip 4 boreholes to supplement the current water supply. Also under the WSIG project, a leak detection and pipe replacement project was carried out during the lockdown period.
Under the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) there is a R17m allowed over three years for the upgrading of Roads Projects in Louterwater, for this financial year there is R3m allocated and there is currently a contractor on site.
A tender was advertised in November 2019 for the electrification of Ravinia, Krakeel and Louterwater over a three-year period ending on 30 June 2022 (± 250 Electrical connections for Louterwater town). Funding will be provided through the Integrated National Electrification Programme (INEP) Grant provided by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy.
The Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent (MISA) is currently providing technical support to the KLM, by deploying an Electrical and Civil Engineers to provide engineering expertise. MISA is involved in the engineering projects.