The Olifants/Ebenezer project pipelines were fully replaced by December 2024.
About 65% of electronic work with installations, is expected to be completed in May 2025.

This emerged at a meeting held with stakeholders by Lepelle Northern Water Board (LNW).

The CEO of LNW, Dr Cornelius Ruiters, who chaired the steering committee meeting, said that the project is progressing very well.

“We plan the practical completion of the project by May 2025. We are in the process of financial sourcing of Phase 1B of R3.2 billion with the Infrastructure Fund. There are some social and technical challenges that we are addressing, for example, the finalization of the servitudes, among others. Overall, we are satisfied with the progress to meet the intended deadlines to improve the water supply in the City of Polokwane” Dr Ruiters said.

In attendance were representatives from the Infrastructure Fund, the New Development Bank, the Department of Water and Sanitation, and Polokwane Municipality.

Lepelle Northern Water (LNW) and the Infrastructure Fund (IF), a unit within the Development Bank of Southern Africa, signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) towards funding, financing, and implementation of the first phase of the Olifantspoort/ Ebenezer Upgrade Project to the tune of R4.6 billion in Polokwane in 2023.

The broader water infrastructure upgrades and refurbishment programme is implemented in three phases over a seven-year period at a consolidated cost of approximately R18 billion.

The project entails the upgrade and refurbishment of the schemes, which are owned and operated by LNW, and will mostly benefit consumers within the Capricorn District municipal area (Polokwane included). In addition, it will further benefit consumers in various local municipal areas within Sekhukhune and Mopani District municipalities.

This first phase of the upgrade works is envisaged to increase the availability of potable water supply to the city by 55 to 65 Ml/ day by 2026.

Picture: LNW

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