Some Hammanskraal residents hope to do away with buying clean water

TSHWANE - Some Hammanskraal residents are hoping the times of paying for clean drinking water from private sellers are behind them.  

On Wednesday, the Tshwane municipality declared the tap water in some parts of the Pretoria North area safe for human consumption.  

This is due to the successful installation of phase one of the Magalies Klipdrift Water Treatment Plant.  

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The failure of the Tshwane municipality to provide clean, safe-to-drink water to residents of Hammanskraal has been to the benefit of some private businesses.  

Margaret Mabelagapoo, who now has clean drinking water in her home, said her life is easier.  

“We used to struggle a lot. When I wanted to fill up my tank, I used to spend a lot of money on buying water.”  

Resident Philipine Kubayane said she didn’t always have money to buy the water.  

“We used to go to Magalies [water plant] with our wheelbarrows and stand in long lines to get clean water that we used for drinking and cooking.”  

The municipality said it would start billing Hammanskraal residents for their water as it supplied clean water.

It added that it aims to roll out clean drinking water to the rest of Hammanskraal before the end of 2025. 

Tshwane Mayor Nasiphi Moya said that though some parts now have clean drinking water, the project still has three more phases.  

“In terms of schedule, of the four modules, we are supposed to complete the second module at the end of February, the third at the end of April and the fourth at the end of June. When we are done with these modules, all these areas will be covered in the sense that all of them must have drinkable water in their taps.”