uMngeni-uThukela Water Chief Operating Officer Sanele Mazibuko, Board Chairperson of uMngeni-uThukela water Adv Vusi Khuzwayo, Chief Executive Sandile Mkhize and Group Financial Officer Thami Mkhwanazi. Picture Zainul Dawood
The uMgeni-uThukela Water (UUW) is planning to invest billions in infrastructure projects in the eThekwini Municipality and KwaZulu-Natal.
Thami Mkhwanazi (UUW) group Chief Financial Officer outlined plans for investments on their books for 2025/2026 at a meeting on Thursday in Durban. Mkhwanazi said that bulk water sales volumes in KwaZulu-Natal were mainly driven by eThekwini and Msunduzi Municipalities.
The UUW spent R2.3 billion on infrastructure in 2023/24. Mkhwanazi said that over the next five years, the UUW intends on investing more than R15 billion in capital expenditure as per the UUW business plan for 2025. These include the uMkhomazi Water project, lower uMkhomazi bulk water supply scheme, lower Thukela phase 2, greater Mpofana bulk water supply scheme and Mhlabatshane regional scheme.
The UUW has 981 kilometres of pipelines, 12 wastewater treatment works and 20 water treatment works. In 2023/2024 money was spent on bulk infrastructure augmentation, expansion, upgrades and rehabilitation projects. The UUW in 2023/2024 treated and supplied 665 million cubic meters of potable water and also achieved a 5% increase in wastewater treatment works output.
CEO Sandile Mkhize said that they have signed a Memorandum Of Understanding with eThekwini Municipality which includes collaboration on several critical equipment infrastructure upgrades. These include ten Waste Water Treatment Works (WWTW) upgrades in KwaMashu, Phoenix, and uMhlanga.
Mkhize said an improvement in the overall effluent compliance of WWTW can be attributed to the interventions taken and they were concerned about the impact wastewater was having on Durban beaches, in particular, during the December holiday period.
“We increased the treatment of wastewater upgrades so that there was no recurrence of the problem,” he said.
Mkhize said UUW had done extensive work in the uMgungundlovu District Municipality. In 2021, the District Municipality was able to achieve a Green Drop status for Cool Air WWTW.
Mkhize said eThekwini then requested UUW assistance with the restoration of the Northern WWTW. The city is spending R500 million on the rehabilitation project.
“We are far from reaching green drop standards at the Northern treatment works. There is still a lot of work being done but once this rehabilitationed is complete it will solve most of the municipality's problems,” he said.
Mkhize said UUW has an opportunity to expand beyond South Africa and is positioning itself to be the designated water service provider in KZN with their wall to wall plan. They intend to have bulk water service agreements with Amajuba, uMkhanyakude, Zululand, Newcastle, uMzinyathi and uThukela District municipalities.
Chief Operating Officer Sanele Mazibuko said the Universal Access Plan was developed for all 14 Water Service Authority (WSA) sites within KZN. Mazibuko said key milestones during the financial year was the Nagle Dam Aqueducts and commissioning of the KwaXimba package plant that is providing water to eThekwini.
The UUW is currently constructing a 100 ML/d plant that will abstract water from the lower end of Mkhomazi River to augment supply to eThekwini and Ugu District by 2026.
Speaking at a recent Ethekwini executive committee meeting, Ednick Msweli the head of the Ethekwini Water and Sanitation (EWS), said his department had exhausted its maintenance budget.
The EWS required a budget of R670 million instead of the current R256 million they received. Msweli requested more funding to address the daily pipe failures, repair to pipes, and expedite bulk supply initiatives like desalination and water reuse.
zainul.dawood@inl.co.za
Related Topics: