After December 2000 elections, South Africa saw the establishment of Water Services Authorities throughout the country in terms Water Services Act, Act No 108, 1997. The WSAs were to take over some of the functions that were done by the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry. In 2002, EThekwini Metro and the 10 District Municipalities within KwaZulu Natal were officially given the status of WSA and the ADM is one of those districts.

A year later, 2003, three local municipalities were also give the same status of WSA and those municipalities are Umsunduzi within Umgungundlovu DM, Newcastle within Amajuba DM and UMhlathuzi within Uthungulu DM. When Newcastle Local Municipality was given the status of WSA that meant ADM would be a Water Services Authority for 2 local municipalities i.e. Utrecht and Dannhauser. The Water Services Authorities have constitutional obligation of providing water and sanitation within their area of jurisdiction.

The Water Services Authority function is carried out by WSA Section within the Engineering Services at Amajuba District. The main functions for ADM WSA is to Govern, Plan and Regulate in terms of Water Services Act. Other functions are Designing, Building, Owning, Operating, Maintenance and Customer Care and these functions have been outsourced to the municipal entity i.e. Uthukela Water as these forms part of Operations.

Water Services Provider

In terms of Municipal Systems Act, the municipalities must under go the process of Section 78 Assessment (Internal and External), which is the process of checking the capacity as far as service provision is concern. A joint Section 78 Assessment was carried out in 2003 for Amajuba, Umzinyathi, Uthukela Districts and Newcastle Local Municipalities. The internal assessment showed that all these municipalities were not capable of provision of services due to capacity problems.

The external assessment leaded in the formation of a municipal entity called Uthukela Water Partnership to be the Water Services Provider for the 4 WSAs. The 4 WSAs were the shareholders in the entity in December 2004, Uthukela District Municipality was expelled from the partnership which left 3 shareholders and now Uthukela Water is the WSP for Amajuba, Umzinyathi and Newcastle WSAs.

Amajuba District Municipality had to enter into a 1 year interim agreement with Uthukela Water in July 2003. Then Uthukela Water took over officially as a WSP for Amajuba from the 01st of July 2003 and the company is responsible for Designing, Building, Ownership, Operating, Maintenance and Customer Care of all the WSA’s projects. The municipality has a long term (30 year) agreement with Uthukela Water. The Municipality has 2 Non Executive Directors sitting in the Board of Uthukela Water. www.uthukelawater.co.za

Water Services Development Plan

Section 12 of the Water Services Act, Act No 108 requires WSAs to prepare Water Services Development Plans which are 5 year plan for the provision of Water and Sanitation to their respective area of jurisdiction. In 2002, ADM appointed consultant for the development WSDP as required law.

Public meetings were held in Utrecht and Dannhauser Municipal Areas to workshop Amajuba WSDP and to receive public comments. There were concerns from the Agricultural Community that the WSDP did not provide for agricultural needs. An addendum to the WSDP was done to cater for agricultural needs and it was submitted to DWAF and comments were received from the sector department and they were addressed. The council approved the WSDP and was submitted to the Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry.

Amajuba has started the process of re visiting the WSDP and the list of projects will be available as part of WSDP on the Amajuba District Municipality web site on: www.amajuba.gov.za.

Build, Operate, Train and Transfer Programme

The Build, Operate, Train and Transfer (BOTT) Programme is the programme that was initiated by DWAF. The programme was initiated to create smooth transaction for the new WSAs. A contract between DWAF and Aquamanzi as part of BOTT programme brought about a number of water and sanitation projects within Amajuba District Municipality. Annandale Small Water Scheme is one of the projects that were done through the BOTT programme. Ingagane Phase I is another project through the same programme. This project was the construction of bulk water supply from Braakfontein Reservoir to the Waterval Prison and Reticulation to the areas of Inverness, Witteklip, Jakkalspan, Majorisu, Eastbourne Farm and Dicks Halt which was the pilot project.

Ingagane Phase II was the construction of reticulation for Soul City, Leslie, Clare, Naas, Springboklaagte and Suspokedo. As the BOTT contract was drawing to the end by the end of March 2004 and Aquamanzi did reticulation for Dicks Halt and Leslie. In September 2003, Amajuba started the process of appointing consultants to take over from Aquamanzi on water.

Aquamanzi also did the construction of household sanitation to the areas of Jakkalspan, Witteklip and Majorisu through the BOTT contract. Amajuba also appointed consultant as an implementing Agent for the construction of household sanitation and in April 2004 Amajuba had to toke over the implementation of household sanitation.

Kilbarchan/Alcockspruit Bulk Water Supply

The Kilbarchan/Alcockspruit bulk water supply project was initiated in 2002, the project was funded by the Department of Local Government and Traditional Affairs (DLGTA) through its Consolidated Municipal Infrastructural Programme (CMIP) and ESCOM. The project has a pump station at Bosworth Farm that pumps to the elevated tank in Koppie Allen Farm.

Through the drought relief programme, Amajuba District municipality has managed to do partial reticulation for Bosworth and Koppie Allen Farms with funds allocated to it and Newcastle as water services authorities. The Bosworth community is supplied through ground erected tank and Koppie Allen community is gravity fed from the elevated tank. This project has assisted in the reduction of backlog.

Photo: Workers at the Kilbarchan/Alcockspruit bulk water project.

Amajuba Small Water Schemes

Amajuba District Municipality through the drought relief programme has done some standpipe projects in the areas of Steildrift (Annievale, Kiel Keel and Nellyvalley), Emfundweni, Fairbreeze, Eastbourne Farm Extension and Ubuhlebomzinyathi. The programme was aimed at giving those communities purified water as a temporary measure and a relief as some of the boreholes were dry due to drought.

These areas are still to be covered for the long term supply. This programme has created opportunities for local labor during construction. Uthukela Water has been the implementing agent for this programme. Amajuba is striving for the provision of basic services with the limited resources available.

Photo: One of eleven standpipes for Eastbourne Farm Extension.

Cholera Outbreak

In 2001, Amajuba District Municipality and other Districts within KwaZulu Natal experienced cholera out-breaks, the council took the decision of buying a 15kl water tanker and 30 x 5kl tanks from its Capital Funding. This water tank is still supplying water throughout the district as part of rudimentary water supply programme. Further more the council also set aside funds for rehabilitation and drilling of new boreholes throughout the district.

The Department of Water Affairs and Forestry gave funding to the municipality to deal with the disease outbreak. These funds enabled ADM to drill additional boreholes, build 40 School Sanitation Blocks and small rudimentary water supply scheme. The awareness campaigns by the Department of Health also helped to ease the outbreak. This clearly proved that co-ordination within the stakeholders is crucial to provide services as per each stake holder’s constitutional obligation.

Photo: New Borehole

Rudimentary Water Supply

In 2001, Amajuba District Municipality purchased a 15kl to provide water to the static tanks throughout the district. The District received 2 x 6kl and a Vacuum Tanker from the Department of Works in 2003 to be used for the rudimentary. The Amajuba started to assemble a team of 6 people; 3 Drivers and 3 Assistants in order to provide efficient service. Another 15kl was purchased in 2004 from Drought Relief Funds to supplement the rudimentary water supply programme and the tanker was purchased just before Uthukela Water took over officially as a Water Services Provider. To date the trucks are filling more that 100 static tanks within Amajuba District Municipal area of jurisdiction.

In August 2003, the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry seconded the staff that was repairing boreholes within this district. The team of 13 people was to be transferred to Amajuba District Municipality at the later stage. The department also offered funds for the purchase of 2 trucks and tools for the team to start with the rehabilitation of boreholes throughout the district. The 2 teams then became the rudimentary team to fill in static tank and rehabilitate boreholes.

Photo: One of Amajuba DM Static Tanks

Amajuba School Sanitation Projects for 2004/2005 Financial Year.

During the then Umzinyathi Regional Council, the council received a number of applications for the construction of Ventilated Improved Pits for different schools then Umzinyathi Regional Council started building toilets for schools throughout the region.

Amajuba District Municipality has built a number of toilets since 2001 and projects are available in the Amajuba Geographic Information System. For 2005/2006 financial year the district set aside some funds from its capital budget for the institutional sanitation programme.

Photo: One of the completed school sanitation projects

Six blocks of ablution facilities with 5 cubicles were built for this year. The structure on the previous page shows the completed ablution facility. The schools that benefited for the programme are Wit Umfolozi, Sibonelesihle (Nkululeko a project name) and Umzilikazi, all these projects are in Utrecht and Mziwethu and Fairbreeze in the Buffalo Flats and Thabo in Normandien.

ABBREVIATIONS

DWAF – Department of Water Affairs and Forestry
DLGTA – Department of Local Government and Traditional Affairs
DOW – Department of Work
ADM – Amajuba District Municipality
DM – District Municipality
LM – Local Municipality
WSA – Water Services Authority
WSP – Water Services Provider
IDP – Integrated Development Plan
WSDP – Water Services Development Plan
BOTT – Build, Operate, Train and Transfer
CMIP – Consolidated Municipal Infrastructure Programme