Thabazimbi water crisis deepens as DA pushes for mining group takeover

Democratic Alliance (DA) has intensified pressure on Thabazimbi Local Municipality to accept a mining consortium’s proposal to rescue a stalled R67 million water infrastructure project, as residents endure persistent supply disruptions.

DA Councillor Thane Hearne revealed the critical pipeline replacement initiative – designed to upgrade 7km of aging infrastructure between the Thabazimbi pump station and town – remains incomplete three years after its 2022 launch, plagued by political turbulence and contractor mismanagement.

Project records show initial contractor Iceberg Construction received R8 million plus R800,000 in standby fees despite laying only one kilometre of pipe before abandoning the site.

Municipal authorities accepted the firm’s June 2025 exit without penalty, despite having disbursed R8.8 million in public funds.

Hearne confirmed the DA will demand forensic audits into these payments while pushing the council to embrace the mining group’s Social Labour Plan intervention.

Residents in Thabazimbi and Regorogile neighborhoods report multi-day water outages, with municipal trucks struggling to meet basic needs.

“This paralysis demonstrates shocking disregard for citizens’ constitutional rights,” Hearne stated, noting the proposed private-sector partnership offers the fastest path to resolving the crisis.