Press Statement by Julius Du Toit: DA Councillor in Dr. Pixley Ka Isaka Seme Local Municipality
-Residents in some parts of Amersfoort are subjected to water interruptions.
-A contractor appointed by the municipality is reportedly responsible for this.
-We demand the municipality to develop an action plan to address this.
14 September 2026
Release: Immediate
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Dr Pixley Ka Isaka Seme Local Municipality calls on the Acting Municipal Manager, Oupa Mofokeng, to address the water shortages in Amersfoort and assess work done by a contractor tasked with refurbishing the sewer network.
This comes after Amersfoort residents were once again left without water. It is alleged that the contractor damaged the municipal water infrastructure while working on the town’s sewer network.
The contractor, which was appointed by the municipality to refurbish the sewer network in Amersfoort and is being paid millions of rands for this work. On numerous occasions this contractor allegedly dug into and damaged existing municipal water lines repeatedly during its construction activities.
The result has been repeated interruptions to water supply, the unnecessary loss of litres of treated water, and growing frustration among residents who are simply asking for the most basic municipal service, reliable access to water.
With this in mind, we call on municipal management to take the following steps:
-Provide residents with a clear explanation of the scope of the contract and risks associated with it;
-Investigate all previous incidents in which the contractor damaged municipal water infrastructure;
-Explain what measures are in place to prevent further damage to water lines;
-Account for the volume and cost of water lost because of these incidents and demand accountability from the contractor for it;
-Disclose the relevant procurement and contractor-management processes to Council and the public; and
-Ensure that appropriate safety and construction standards are enforced.
We also intend to establish how a contractor entrusted with a multimillion-rand municipal project was appointed, how competitive the process was, what performance and safety requirements were included in its contract, how its work is being monitored, and what consequences apply when its activities result in damage to existing municipal infrastructure.
A municipality cannot wait for infrastructure to fail before responding and it certainly cannot allow preventable damage caused during municipal construction projects to repeatedly plunge communities into water interruptions.
On 4 November, residents will have an opportunity to decide who they want governing Dr Pixley Ka Isaka Seme Local Municipality. A DA-led municipality would prioritise comprehensive, proactive infrastructure maintenance, identifying problems before they become crises, repairing broken pipes and pumps, maintaining water systems properly and ensuring that appropriately skilled and competent companies are brought in where municipal capacity is insufficient.
The DA will not leave the people of Amersfoort without answers, and we will not stop following every avenue in holding this municipality accountable for this issue.
For media enquiries:
Julius Du Toit
DA Councillor in Dr Pixley Ka Isaka Seme Local Municipality
082 574 5192