Knysna’s water and sanitation problems fuel constant political blame game in coalition government

13 Dec 2023

While the Western Cape Department of Local Government is currently working in Knysna to stabilise the refuse and sewage crisis, the DA has blamed the situation on the governing coalition, which has come under fire since coming into power in 2022.

The water and sanitation crisis in the coastal Knysna Municipality is being caused by a combination of rolling blackouts, bad management and a lack of investment in water infrastructure, according to the provincial Department of Local Government. In the latest complication, a corpse was found in one of the water tanks, which means the entire system, including four reservoirs, had to be emptied and sanitised.

The political blame has been pushed on the coalition of the ANC, Patriotic Alliance (PA) and Plaaslike Besorgde Inwoners (PBI), which has been dubbed the “coalition of corruption” by the opposition DA.

Knysna’s water and sewerage crisis has been ongoing since mid-November. Raw sewage has spilt from overflowing manholes and sewerage pipelines. Water shortages have left the municipality’s residents and businesses without water, with organisations such as Gift of the Givers and nearby municipalities stepping in to provide relief.

Read more in Daily Maverick: Knysna Municipality given two-week deadline to solve unchecked raw sewage spillages

“A team of engineers from the Department of Local Government is currently working in Knysna to stabilise the refuse and water crisis the town is experiencing,” said Anton Bredell, Western Cape MEC for Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning.

On Tuesday, Bredell told Daily Maverick: “The situation developed as a combination of load shedding, bad management, lack of investment in water infrastructure and lack in maintenance on the part of the municipality. The corpse found in one of the water tanks complicated this situation even further, as an entire system which includes four reservoirs had to be emptied and sanitised.”

Since the provincial intervention, water distribution has been restored in the areas of Hornlee, Sunridge, Bigai and Knoetzie.

“Supply in the northern areas will be restored after sanitisation of the reservoirs, which is expected to be completed soon. This is being done with a dry ice process at a cost of more than R1-million,” Bredell added.

Knysna is a key tourist town along the Garden Route. It has a population of 96,055 people. According to the latest census, 82.6% of residents have access to piped water in their dwellings and 89.3% of residents have access to a weekly refuse disposal service.

On Tuesday Daily Maverick sent the municipality a query asking for an update on the crisis, but it did not respond.

Read more in Daily Maverick: Knysna enduring weeks without water as Gift of the Givers steps up to plug service delivery leak

Coalition country

Since the start of the crisis, the DA has laid the blame firmly on the coalition government.

“The people of Knysna are experiencing the reality faced by millions of households across South Africa where the ANC governs: a collapse of service delivery resulting from cadre deployment, incompetence and corruption,” said Dr Dion George, DA Knysna constituency head.

“Unlike other failed municipalities, Knysna is fortunate to be located in the DA-governed Western Cape that is able to provide support,” he added.

“The only solution to this chaotic situation is the removal of the Coalition of Corruption at the earliest opportunity,” George said.

After the 2021 municipal elections, the 21-seat council was split. On one side are the DA (eight seats) and the Knysna Independent Movement (KIM) (two seats). On the other is a coalition made up of the ANC (seven seats), the PA (two seats) and the PBI (one seat). The EFF holds one seat, which means it usually makes the decisions in the council, including who leads it.

After the 2021 municipal elections, the municipal council was governed by a coalition of the DA and KIM. However, this coalition was replaced by the current ANC/PA/PBI coalition in August 2022 after a motion of no confidence was tabled by the PA.

Read more in Daily Maverick: DA-led alliance loses power in Knysna council to ANC-led coalition

Bredell has taken the coalition to court over appointments, and it has faced complaints by residents and councillors about high rate increases. In September 2023, PA leader Gayton Mckenzie threatened to remove his party over senior appointments in the municipality, which he claimed “did not represent South Africa”. The coalition then made up.

“If Knysna is viewed through a political lens, one can argue that the residents are currently experiencing the results of their choices from the last local government election. They elected a council which must be held responsible for a drastic decline in service delivery and financial mismanagement that led to the current situation in Knysna,” Bredell said.

ANC responds

“Firstly we find it so disingenuous for the DA to make such statements. The intervention by both the provincial government and Garden Route Municipality respectively comes from an invitation by Knysna Municipality to assist on gaps in terms of service delivery,” said Moyisi Magalela, spokesperson for the ANC in the Victor Molosi region.

“It is the competency of both the provincial government and the district to assist municipalities through inter-governmental relations,” he said.

Magalela said efforts to assist the municipality included the rental of additional vehicles to assist with waste management tasks. Three compactor trucks from the George Municipality arrived in Knysna on Saturday morning to help clear accumulated refuse at the waste transfer station.

“The Western Cape government facilitated this intervention. The support provided by George Municipality in cleaning up the waste dump demonstrates the value of inter-governmental collaboration in meeting community needs,” he added.

“I am not surprised by the DA’s desperate statement; it is their ongoing wish to see the pro-poor government fail,” Magalela said.

“The provincial government is fulfilling its oversight role and is doing its best to support Knysna in terms of technical skills and basic services. Much of the support mentioned above also comes from other municipalities as a gesture of goodwill. But ultimately the residents will have to make a considered choice at the ballot box come the next local government elections,” Bredell said. DM

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Coalition country

ANC responds