08 Aug 2022

Five hundred and ninety-eight customers were not connected to the Serowe sewage system after paying P1 000 connection fees.

Answering a question in Parliament last Thursday, Minister of Lands and Water Affairs, Dr Kefentse Mzwinila said this happened during the construction phase of the sewage scheme project.

He said residents were encouraged to pay connection fees, adding  that 598 of those who had paid could not be connected due to some technicalities.

He said the technicalities included no gravitational flow due to slope or ground elevations at locations of plots.

Dr Mzwinila said not all parts of Serowe were reticulated with the sewage line as some parts were outside the water works area and could not have the sewage network at completion of the project.

He said there was no intention by Water Utilities Corporation to refund those customers, but they would instead get connected to the sewage system when the project resumed.

“The information of all customers who paid up for connection is available and as soon as the project resumes, customers would be informed and connected accordingly.

When this project starts in (National Development Plan) NDP 12 the connection will not be P1 000, but rather it will be much more in the region of three or four thousand Pula.

 It is a saving to keep the connection fees instead of asking them (customers) to reconnect later at a higher fee,” said the minister. He said a 2017 task team that assessed and recommended corrective measures, estimated that an amount of P600 million would be needed to correct the status quo and connect the remaining 598 residents into the scheme.

“All customers who paid would be connected.

For those who are deceased, beneficiaries of the plots would have to renew the applications for them to be connected at no additional cost,” said the minister.

Dr Mzwinila, however, said the ministry would embark on a consultative process with stakeholders to determine whether the decision not to refund the affected stakeholders should be reversed and they be reimbursed.

Serowe South MP, Mr Leapeetswe Lesedi had asked the minister to state the number of people in Serowe who paid the P1 000 to Water Utilities Corporation to connect sewage and were never connected.

He also wanted to know what led to the collapse of the sewage scheme, and if the project would resume.

He further asked whether residents would be refunded. ENDs