DA councillors have uncovered what they describe as a deliberate misrepresentation of project progress after an on-site inspection revealed no construction work had been done on a dam project reported to council as 50% complete, while residents face daily water shortages.
No dam, no dirt moved, no answers from the municipality
The DA in Nketoana Local Municipality said on Tuesday that it had written to the municipal manager, demanding accountability, after councillors discovered that a dam project presented to council as half-built showed no signs of construction during a physical inspection.
DA councillors Thinus Blignaut and Anelia Smit conducted an oversight visit to the site where the Geluk Dam was supposedly under construction, following claims made during the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) process that the project was already 50% complete.
What they found – or rather, did not find – raised serious alarm.
Blignaut confirmed that the site showed no indication of any work having taken place.
“An investigation was done on site where the supposed dam will be built, and a picture was taken of the site to show that up until now, no soil has been removed where the dam is supposed to be built,” he told The Citizen.
“No construction, earthworks, infrastructure development or any visible signs of a project supposedly already 50% complete could be found.”
The councillors have since requested a formal site inspection with municipal management.
“We’ve requested the municipal manager to come and show us physically at the dam site where they are of the opinion that 50% of the earthworks [have] been done already,” Blignaut added. “We’re still awaiting an appointment with the municipal manager.”
A project that existed only on paper, while a water crisis loomed
The Geluk Dam was not merely a routine infrastructure project.
According to information presented to council during the IDP process, the dam was supposed to have been completed by 1 October 2024, in time to serve as an emergency water source during the scheduled closure of the Katse Dam Highlands Water Scheme tunnel for critical maintenance.
Municipal management had presented the project as a critical piece of infrastructure that would protect communities in Nketoana from severe water shortages during the tunnel closure period.
The DA says that the failure to deliver this project, while falsely reporting its progress, represents a serious breach of public trust.
The party holds that it is unavoidable that councillors and the broader public were deliberately misled.
“It is completely unacceptable for false or misleading information to be presented to councillors during an official IDP process, as this process underpins planning, budgeting, and service delivery to residents.”
The Citizen approached the department for comment, but it had not responded by the time of publication.
Diverted funds leave Reitz and Petsana residents in the dry
Beyond the misrepresentation itself, the DA has raised serious concerns about how funds were managed in connection with the Geluk Dam project.
It said money originally allocated for a pipeline that would have supplied water from the purification works to Reitz and Petsana was allegedly redirected toward the dam, a project that apparently never materialised.
The consequences are being felt daily, with the party stating that it “believes that reallocating funds back to the pipeline project is critical, as residents of Reitz, especially in Petsana, are already experiencing severe daily water shortages”.
The DA argues this places further financial strain on a municipality already operating under significant resource constraints.
Blignaut said the party is calling for the Geluk Dam project to be urgently reconsidered and for funds to be reallocated back to the original pipeline project, which it believes represents a more sustainable and necessary solution for affected communities.
“Access to water is a basic right, and residents deserve sustainable infrastructure solutions rather than expensive emergency measures and unverified projects that exist only on paper,” he said.
The councillor added that the DA will not let the matter rest. The party has committed to continued oversight and pressure on the municipality until residents receive the transparency, accountability and reliable service delivery they are entitled to.
