No draft budget allocation to replace asbestos pipes in east

The Citizen

3 days ago

No draft budget allocation to replace asbestos pipes in east
As Pretoria East battles ageing infrastructure and constant pipe bursts, residents and councillors are furious over Tshwane's draft budget.
According to them, it includes no funding to replace the decades-old asbestos pipes plaguing their areas.
However, the budget is set to be tabled before the council this week, and frustrations are mounting over what they view as continued neglect of suburban areas.
In Waterkloof, residents have had enough of burst water pipes that are no longer a rare inconvenience but a weekly occurrence.
On Julius Jeppe Street alone, pipe burst after pipe burst has become daily life.
Waterkloof resident Ian Fuller has been actively engaging with the metro through emails, raising concerns over the deteriorating infrastructure and lack of meaningful intervention.
'The same pipe bursts almost every week,' said Fuller.
'Every time the city comes, they dig up the pavement, patch the same old asbestos pipe, and leave.'
Fuller said they don't replace anything, and they certainly don't restore the area properly.
'Our sidewalks are damaged, our properties are suffering, and nothing changes.'
Despite repeated complaints, the city has not committed to replacing the asbestos pipe.
Instead, temporary repairs continue to be the standard response.
'They keep patching a pipe that is long past its lifespan,' Fuller added.
According to councillors in the area, the draft budget offers little hope.
Ward 82 councillor Siobhan Muller expressed serious concerns, accusing the metro of ignoring Pretoria East altogether in its planning.
'There's nothing in the draft budget for water infrastructure upgrades in Waterkloof or most of the eastern suburbs,' Muller said.
'It's deeply concerning. The MMC has said publicly that funding is being diverted from the suburbs to the townships, yet the same suburban residents are expected to absorb higher property rates and tariffs.'
Muller described the situation as not only unaffordable but unreasonable, too.
She added that although the budget is not yet finalised, what is currently on the table shows no prioritisation of critical issues in the east.
'They're going to call it a 'funded budget' because they want to show stability, but in reality, it's a strategy to milk ratepayers while giving them nothing in return,' she said.
'There are no projects listed for regions 3 or 6.'
Muller said the only initiative in this part of the city is the BRT project. 'It isn't even funded by the municipality. It comes from a national grant.'
Ward 47 councillor Lida Erasmus shared similar frustrations.
She said the draft budget does not include any mention of asbestos pipe replacement in the eastern suburbs, despite ongoing complaints and breakdowns.
'The asbestos pipes in this part of the city were laid down decades ago, and they were never meant to withstand the pressure the current system puts on them,' Erasmus said.
'They don't just leak; they split along the pipe. When that happens, the damage is extensive and costly.'
Erasmus said that in wards 83 and 85, residents are regularly left without water due to recurring pipe failures.
'When I was standing in for Councillor Andrew Lesch in Ward 83, we had a single pipe that burst four times in seven days,' she said.
'The same thing is now happening in Die Wilgers on Teresa Street.'
She added that when the metro teams arrive to fix the problem, they don't even have basic materials like clamps.
Erasmus said residents end up buying materials out of pocket just to get their water back.
She also shared a personal experience that underscored the lack of preparation and resources.
'I had to call my husband to bring a 10-pound hammer to break a concrete slab so the repair could be done.
'The metro is simply neither equipped nor willing to deal with this problem properly.'
Despite these accounts, the draft budget highlights several infrastructure projects planned for the 2025/26 financial year, but excludes asbestos pipe replacement.
Deputy Mayor Eugene Modise said the budget is designed to address long-standing service backlogs in historically underserved areas.
'This administration remains committed to providing safe, clean drinking water and dignified sanitation,' Modise said.
'We have already completed work in Bronkhorstspruit, and we are now moving forward with major projects across the city.'
Among the projects Modise listed are the R150-million upgrade to Rooiwal Waste Water Treatment Plant, R45-million for Mamelodi bulk reticulation and sanitation, and R25-million for refurbishing the Bronkhorstspruit Water Purification Plant.
He said other projects are planned for Ekangala, Themba, and Babelegi.
While these projects may benefit certain communities, councillors in the east argue that the neglect of their suburbs has become systemic.
They warn that continued inaction could further deteriorate public trust and infrastructure alike.
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