Frustration is mounting among residents of Windsorton as a R34 million oxidation pond, designed to treat sewage for the growing community, sits incomplete and abandoned nine years after construction began. The project, initiated in 2015 by the Dikgatlong Local Municipality, has become a symbol of failed service delivery and an active safety hazard.
The new pond was intended to service the area’s increased population. However, nearly a decade later, the site shows little progress. Compounding the issue, an old, decommissioned pond nearby has not been properly secured, posing a grave danger to local children.
“We are not happy with how exposed this thing is,” one resident said. “We are pleading with authorities to put a fence here because when we are at our homes, we worry about the safety of our children.” The community reports that two to four children have drowned in the hazardous site in previous years.
Residents express deep frustration with unfulfilled promises from officials. “I’m frustrated because some politicians… show fingers when they think somebody do something wrong but when they do the wrong thing they trying to shield,” another resident stated, criticizing a lack of accountability.
A spokesperson for the Department of Water and Sanitation provided an explanation for the lengthy delay. The department stated that following an Auditor-General’s finding that the appointment of the original service providers was irregular, the contract was terminated. The department then terminated its contract with the Dikgatlong Municipality in 2021.
According to the department, a consulting engineering company was subsequently appointed to assess and design the remaining work. “The designs are currently completed,” the spokesperson confirmed. The department now plans for construction to resume in the 2026/2027 financial year at an estimated further cost of R30 million, with the process of appointing new service providers underway.
For the community of Windsorton, the new timeline offers little comfort. “The infrastructure of Windsorton is not on standard. We are facing many, many more challenges with regards to such incomplete projects,” a resident lamented. With memories of past promises, residents say they will only believe the project is moving forward when they finally see action on the long-stalled site.