Chris Hani District Municipality

The Challenge
The Chris Hani District Municipality was faced with extreme challenges to rehabilitate and refurbish their rural water and sanitation facilities within their service area, serving a population of over 810 000, and thereafter, effectively operating and maintaining these facilities.

The Solution
Through a public tender, the municipality appointed WSSA as their service support agent and their water service provider. This was an ongoing contract providing operational and technical services, driving the roll-out of the municipal ROMP (rehabilitate, operate, maintain) programme.



Achievements
One of the key achievements was the identification, training, support and ongoing mentoring of community-based organisations ('CBOs') in the refurbishment and ongoing operation of various water schemes, these being capacity building and skills transfer objectives essential for the ongoing sustainability of the water services.


As service support agent, WSSA has been extremely successful in the provision of technical assistance, management, operational and maintenance services to the municipality, including:

  • Initial system refurbishment, ongoing asset management and expansion
    • Condition assessments and rehabilitation recommendations
    • Repair and refurbishment of mechanical, electrical, distribution networks, pump stations, reservoirs, structures and buildings
    • Capital works to upgrade and expand the systems
    • Project management of large municipal capital works programmes
  • Operations
    • Management and operation of water and wastewater systems
    • Technical and operational support, training and assistance to community-based organisations established within the communities to provide water services
    • Developing and implementing water demand management initiatives
  • Maintenance and repairs
    • Providing routine and preventative maintenance services
    • Providing repair and emergency repair services
    • Co-ordinating and monitoring contractors, subcontractors and SMMEs providing repair services
  • Asset management
  • Financial and administrative support services, including customer management initiatives