The City of Tshwane has suspended the manager of the Bronkhorstspruit Water Treatment Works and commissioned an independent investigation into failures that contributed to the water crisis affecting communities in the area.
Executive Mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya confirmed the suspension on Friday, saying a preliminary investigation had identified concerns around the interruption of chlorine supplies at the treatment plant, including an alleged failure to escalate the risks and warn residents timeously.
The suspension is pending further investigation.
Moya said the city's chief operations officer had been tasked earlier this week with conducting a preliminary investigation into the circumstances surrounding the disruption.
“The preliminary investigation has made progress and has resulted in the suspension of the Bronkhorstspruit Water Treatment Works plant manager, pending further investigation,” she said.
Independent investigation to establish accountability
Moya said she had directed that an independent external investigation be commissioned to establish the full circumstances surrounding the failures, identify any additional administrative shortcomings and determine where responsibility lay.
The investigation will examine procurement, operational, management and communication processes, including whether appropriate controls and escalation procedures were followed.
The city has also undertaken to cooperate with any investigations conducted by government agencies as it seeks to establish accountability.
Moya said she had accepted overall political responsibility for the city's response to the crisis but stressed that political accountability had to be accompanied by administrative consequences where negligence or misconduct was established.
“Residents deserve to know not only what went wrong, but that there will be consequences where negligence or misconduct is established,” she said.
While the investigations continue, the city says its immediate priorities are protecting affected communities, maintaining safe alternative water supplies and accelerating the rehabilitation of the Bronkhorstspruit Water Treatment Works in collaboration with Rand Water.
Moya said the city would also focus on implementing lasting improvements to prevent similar failures and strengthen the way it manages and protects residents.
More than 400 people fall ill after water contamination
The suspension comes amid growing scrutiny of the city's handling of the water crisis, which has affected Bronkhorstspruit and surrounding communities, including Zithobeni, Dark City, Rethabiseng and Sokhulumi.
A joint investigation by the Department of Water and Sanitation, health authorities and the city found that problems with the municipality's chlorine supplier resulted in water from the treatment works going without chlorination between September 24 and October 14.
Water-quality tests conducted on October 14 detected extremely high levels of E. coli and total coliforms in samples from the treatment works and nearby reservoirs. Authorities linked the contaminated supply to an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness.
Investigators also found that the Bronkhorstspruit River, from which the plant draws water, was affected by sewage pollution from dysfunctional wastewater treatment works in Victor Khanye Municipality and malfunctioning sewage pump stations operated by Tshwane.
The findings raised questions about the city's water-treatment systems, procurement arrangements and failure to communicate the risks to residents.
Moya said the city would cooperate with investigations by government agencies and ensure that administrative accountability accompanied political responsibility.
She said the objective was not only to establish what went wrong but also to introduce lasting improvements to prevent similar failures.
The independent investigation is expected to examine the relevant procurement, operational, management and communication processes, including whether officials followed the required controls and escalation procedures.
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