R223m water treatment works project stalled for months

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27-07-2026
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Grocotts Mail
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Confusion and silence hang over the R223-million Phase 3 expansion of the James Kleynhans Water Treatment Works (JKWTW). While municipal officials claim the massive project is underway, reports have emerged that no actual construction work has begun on the ground.

​The expansion contract was awarded late last year by the Amatola Water Board, acting on behalf of the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS). Because the project is funded and managed nationally rather than by the local municipality, residents had hoped the upgrade would bypass local administrative bottlenecks.

​However, reports suggest that the site remains entirely inactive, with no sign of the heavy machinery or construction deployment needed to increase the town’s bulk water capacity.

​This apparent lack of progress directly contradicts statements made by local authorities. Speaking to Grocott’s Mail, Makana Municipal Water Manager Chris Qwane claimed that the project had officially started on 15 March 2026. Yet, four months after Qwane’s stated start date, reports indicate there is nothing to show for the multi-million-rand allocation managed by project engineers at Lamela Consulting.

The broken pump and pipeline bottleneck

​The ongoing delays have left Makhanda’s water supply highly vulnerable. Severe technical failures at the plant are reportedly straining the existing infrastructure.

​Information received by Grocott’s Mail indicates that two of the plant’s water pumps have been sent away for repairs, leaving only a single pump operational. This mechanical strain is compounded by a major bottleneck in the pipelines that feed water up Botha’s Hill.

​The water system relies on two separate pipelines: a 350mm pipeline and a larger 450mm pipeline. Within the scope of the project, the 350mm pipeline was supposed to be refurbished to increase overall capacity, a task originally part of Phase 2 that had to be carried over to Phase 3 because it was never completed. Currently, only the 450mm pipeline is in active use.

​This operational reality directly contradicts what local politicians are being told in council chambers. DA Councillor Geoff Embling revealed that the council was officially assured that both pipelines are fully operational.

​”We were told as council that both pipelines are working, but people on the ground have informed us that only one pipeline is working, pulling water up Botha’s Hill,” Embling said.

Why the pumps keep breaking

​This single-line bottleneck explains the chronic mechanical failures that have plagued the water works for years. According to Embling, excessive pressure through a single line is causing a destructive cycle of equipment failure.

​”Using two pumps is okay to use on one pipeline, but using three pumps puts a strain on the pipeline, and that’s why the pumps keep on breaking,” Embling explained.

​With Phase 3 work reportedly still nonexistent on the ground, the unfinished carry-over tasks from Phase 2 continue to bottleneck the entire system. Until the 350mm pipeline is refurbished and the new expansion actually begins, Makhanda remains trapped in a cycle of running on a single pipeline, over-straining its remaining machinery, and waiting for a R223-million project that appears to exist only on paper.

​At the time of publication, Amatola Water and project engineers Lamela had not responded to inquiries.