Latest news with #DWS
The Citizen
a day ago
- Politics
- The Citizen
Reasons given for incomplete eradication of 10 000 bucket toilets
The Bucket Eradication Programme was first announced in 2016 and projects to rid eight towns of bucket toilets are still underway. The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) is still working through its bucket toilet backlog, with some areas unlikely to be complete before early 2027. Eight towns — predominantly in the Free State — have projects underway to eradicate a total of 10 700 bucket toilets. According to the department, the projects are at various stages of completion but have encountered several problems since work began. 10 000 toilets by 2026 Minister of Water and Sanitation Pemmy Majondina revealed the status of the projects and the reasons for delays in a recent written response to a parliamentary question. The projects fall under the Bucket Eradication Programme (BEP), which focuses on informal toilets in the North West, Northern Cape, Eastern Cape and Free State. Projects in the Setsoto Local Municipality towns of Senekal, Ficksburg and Clocolan are at 83%, 78% and 82%. The work to remove just over 6000 bucket toilets is set to be complete by March 2026, but DWS states that hard rock found during trench excavations slowed work and led to equipment failures. DWS's in-house construction unit took over projects in Reitz and Mamafubedu in the Nketoana Local Municipality after the contractor was removed. However, no targeted completion date was disclosed. Also in Nketoana, the removal of 1 192 toilets in Arlington is 84% complete, with the department expecting the work to be completed by the end of October. The same deadline is set for a 1279-toilet project in Dealesville where the department is 94% complete. In Campbell in the Northern Cape, a project to remove 596 bucket toilets sits at 0% completion, as the budget was required to be split over two financial years. Problems on site In addition to the reasons given for the Setsoto delays, the department listed seven other reasons for project delays. In Senekal and Arlington, the expropriation of privately owned land was cited as creating a lengthy delay. Excessive rain in the first three months of 2025 slowed progress, as did the discovery of high water tables at all projects. Cash flow challenges were repeatedly reported by contractors, design challenges were encountered mid-construction, and stoppages have occurred due to labour disputes. Additionally, municipalities have been slow to issue wayleaves and identify servitudes. 'Not properly planned' Majondina's response stated that the original aims of the project did not align with the reality on the ground, as bulk water services were not present to service the new toilets. 'The programme was not properly planned at its inception and detailed feasibility studies for implementing water-borne sanitation were not done,' stated the minister. Majondina added that project support was now being provided to contractors through the department's engineering unit. 'The department is actively monitoring the BEP projects through the supervision of a resident engineer stationed permanently on site per project as well as monthly site progress meetings to ensure that any challenges that arise are attended to expeditiously,' she concluded. NOW READ: SAHRC urges government to accelerate eradication of pit latrines and bucket toilets
Bloomberg
4 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Trade Deals Will Be Major Driver of Sentiment: Ronner
DWS Global Equities Senior Portfolio Manager Madeleine Ronner says in the short-term, markets will concentrate on having certainty on trade deals than the actual tariff rates. However she cautions investors should not be too euphoric as a 15% tariff rate is quite high. She speaks to Bloomberg's Joumanna Bercetche on 'Daybreak Europe.' (Source: Bloomberg)
The Citizen
4 days ago
- General
- The Citizen
Thirst and fury in Hammanskraal with pipeline delays
Residents of Hammanskraal have had to endure more than 40 days without a single drop of water from their taps. Despite government assurances of progress, frustration is boiling over as delays in critical infrastructure projects continue to leave residents dry, angry, and demanding answers. The crisis persists even as government officials point to recent infrastructure developments, including the partial handover of the much-anticipated Module 2 of the Klipdrift Water Treatment Works, formally handed to the Tshwane Metro on June 29. The new module is designed to supply 12.5 million litres of water daily, yet for communities like Kudube units 1, 2, 3, 6, 10 and D, Jubilee Tower, and Majaneng, it hasn't translated into flowing taps. 'You can imagine not having water for six weeks, you will be stressed, your life changes, and remember, we don't use pit toilets here, we use flushing toilets. 'We need water on a regular basis and with us not having water, at some point you need to postpone when nature calls,' said frustrated resident Katlego Mthombeni. The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), Tshwane Metro and Magalies Water have acknowledged the continued inconsistent water supply in the phase two targeted areas. According to a joint update issued on July 23, a key reason for the delay in restoring full supply is that the permanent pipeline meant to transport treated water from Babelegi to the Temba Reservoir 3 has not been completed. Mayoral spokesperson Samkelo Mgobozi said in its place, officials have been using an old, temporary pipeline, which has been plagued by frequent leaks and limited delivery volumes. Mgobozi said the temporary system is reportedly only supplying around 6.3 million litres per day, far below the required levels needed to flush and pressurise the network. To make up for the shortfall, Mgobozi said the metro has increased the number of water tankers deployed in the affected communities. But residents said the rollout is disorganised, insufficient, and unreliable. Mthombeni confirmed that they were promised water trucks by the municipality, but they don't come regularly and are not enough. The metro has promised to release a detailed schedule of tanker availability, but community members argue that without proper communication or accountability, the schedule will mean little. Adding to residents' frustration is uncertainty over water safety. While Mgobozi confirmed that water produced by both Klipdrift modules meets minimum SANS 241:2015 quality standards, he cautioned residents in Module 2 areas not to drink water from their taps until further notice. 'The message we have for the municipality as residents is that they must be transparent, they must communicate with us because the mayor promised that within three weeks the water will be safe and she will come and drink the water. 'She must come and address us because she is the one who gave us this promise. I feel like Module 2 is not ready. We must not continue to suffer like this,' said Mthombeni. Mgobozi said the water flushing and cleaning process is 90% complete, but the low volumes from the temporary system are hampering progress. The DWS warned that reverting to older sources like the Temba Water Treatment Works would undo the flushing gains and delay restoration into mid-September. Wisane Mavasa of the department said some residents have asked for the old supply from Temba Water Treatment Works to be restored while waiting for increased volume. Mavasa however said that would reverse the progress made to date and delay the completion of the flushing process to around mid-September. Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to [email protected] or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok.
Bloomberg
4 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Daybreak Europe 7/25/2025
Bloomberg Daybreak Europe is your essential morning viewing to stay ahead. Live from London, we set the agenda for your day, catching you up with overnight markets news from the US and Asia. And we'll tell you what matters for investors in Europe, giving you insight before trading begins. Today's guest: Madeleine Ronner, DWS, Senior Portfolio Manager. (Source: Bloomberg)
The National
22-07-2025
- Business
- The National
Germany's $1.36 trillion asset manager DWS plans Abu Dhabi office
DWS Group, a German investment manager with €1.01 trillion ($1.36 trillion) in assets under management, plans to expand its global footprint by opening an office at Abu Dhabi's financial centre ADGM. The Frankfurt-headquartered asset manager expects to start serving clients in the Emirates from its first Middle East outpost later this year, a DWS spokesperson told The National. DWS, which is majority-owned by German lender Deutsche Bank, has received interest from at least a dozen staff members who are keen to move to the UAE capital, its chief executive Stefan Hoops told the Financial News. 'Since we said we would open a branch we've had plenty of colleagues internally saying: 'Hey, can I work from there?'' Mr Hoops told the London newspaper. 'I don't think London has to worry about Abu Dhabi, but it's pretty attractive for a variety of reasons.' The asset manager plans to move 'people that will do things for the Middle East', he said. 'But I could imagine moving more people if they want to be there. Why not? It's a diversification of time zone coverage. If somebody wants to move, we will support their move,' Mr Hoops added. DWS joins a rapidly expanding list of asset managers, insurers, financial institutions and investment houses that have set up a base or have announced plans to call the financial hub their home. It is also the latest trillion-dollar asset manager to choose Abu Dhabi as its base for Middle East expansion. Partners Group, a Switzerland-based private market investment company with $150 billion client assets, announced the opening of a regional headquarters at ADGM in June. In the same month, Harrison Street, a $56 billion US-based property and infrastructure investment manager, also said it is entering the Middle East market with the opening of an office at ADGM. In February, German asset manager Patrizia was granted approval by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority to start operations at ADGM. The company, which has about €55 billion in assets under management, plans to arrange and advise real estate investments for clients in the region. New York-based BlackRock, the world's top asset manager with nearly $11.5 trillion in assets under management, in November received a commercial licence to operate at ADGM. In September, ADGM welcomed its first trillion-dollar asset managers when PGIM, the global asset management business of Prudential Financial was granted a licence. Chicago investment firm Nuveen, soon followed, with both firms aiming to expand their operations and client bases in the Middle East. The flurry of new additions pushed up the number of companies in ADGM during the first quarter of this year, with assets under management also increasing by 33 per cent annually, the financial hub said in June. The total number of businesses operating at ADGM rose by 43 per cent annually to 2,781 in the first three months of 2025, it said. At the end of last year, the financial zone had 2,381 operational entities.
