JB Marks Municipality Ramps Up Service Delivery While Managing Major Water Infrastructure Emergency

Karen Scheepers
5h
3 min read

The JB Marks Local Municipality has released its latest daily progress report, highlighting steady progress across core service departments while grappling with an unprecedented water-infrastructure crisis that has left several reservoirs at critical levels.

🛣️ Roads and Infrastructure: Progress Despite Weather Setbacks

The Road Patching Unit, led by supervisors Masilo Bennett Isaka and Gift Lebele, achieved strong results on Motshwaro Lekoma Street despite afternoon rainfall that forced an early site evacuation. Morning operations included precision cutting, squaring, and stabilisation of identified potholes. Afternoon work focused on watering, bitumen application, and asphalt compaction before rain halted activities. Only two potholes remain for completion once weather conditions improve.

The Paving Team, under Orlando Zandamela, reported 90 percent completion on the Louis Le Grange Street transformation project. The team’s consistent quality control marks the final phase of one of the municipality’s key road-upgrade initiatives.

💧 Water Services: Targeted Interventions Amid System Strain

Supervisors Mpho Kometsi and Ntate Sebatana oversaw multiple interventions across Ikageng extensions, including meter rebuilds, valve replacements, and leak repairs.

Highlights included:

Sarafina Park – Gate-valve installation completed
Maagroganye Street – New meter and valve installed
Pink Street – Connection-pipe repair and valve installation
Ntsiki Street – Meter replacement finalized

These efforts formed part of a broader push to stabilize water-supply systems during ongoing infrastructure pressure caused by reservoir depletion.

🚽 Sanitation and Sewer Services: Clearing Blockages City-Wide

The Sanitation Division, under Acting Superintendent Ntate Motsamai and Supervisor Ntate Tofile, completed maintenance at six separate locations, including Kerileng, Makgoa, and Klinkenberg Street, where mainlines were unblocked or restored.Additional inspections identified a contractor-related issue in Boikhutso, ensuring professional follow-up on persistent connection problems.

🌳 Community and Waste Services: Clean-Up and Collection Excellence

Community-service teams led by Max Monyemore carried out a full illegal-dumping clearance along Lekhele Street, stretching from Zweli Garage to Boitshoko High School in Ikageng. The clean-up improved safety, environmental quality, and neighbourhood appearance.

Waste-management supervisors Sipho Nxamakele and Felicity Jansen achieved:

90 % household-waste collection,
100 % service at business premises, and
100 % clearance of hotspot dumping areas.

The department maintained near-perfect operational performance while balancing household and commercial demands.

🚨 Water Crisis: Multiple Reservoir Failures Declared

The most critical section of the report addressed a major water-system emergency across the municipality.According to data released by Water Services Director Mabobo Tintswalo, several reservoirs have fallen to dangerously low or empty levels:

Status	Reservoir	Level / Condition
🟢 Stable	Old Plant & Ikageng Main	≈ 95 %
🟡 Monitoring	Vyfhoek 6.4 ML	≈ 86 %
🔴 Critical	Ventersdorp 13.5 ML – 57 % / Ventersdorp 15 ML – 50 %
🚨 Empty / Isolated	Ikageng West & Eesterandjies 5 ML – Empty / Eesterandjies 10 ML – Isolated

🔧 Identified Failure Points

Two reservoirs – Ikageng West and Eesterandjies 5 ML – completely empty.
Ventersdorp 15 ML dropped to half capacity.
Pump Station 7 under active repair, restricting refills.
Multiple isolation events causing system imbalance.

💦 Emergency Actions Activated

Ikageng West emergency refill operation launched.
Eesterandjies 5 ML refill prioritised.
Ventersdorp stabilisation measures in progress.
Pump Station 7 repairs accelerated for critical restoration.
Emergency tankers deployed to affected zones.

Residents have been instructed to observe extreme water-conservation measures, eliminate non-essential usage, and report leaks immediately.

📉 Municipal Oversight and Coordination

While most service departments submitted comprehensive reports, the Municipal Manager noted missing updates from the Yellow Fleet, Road Marking, Electricity, and Ward 11 Sewer Pipeline Project teams, calling for full compliance to ensure coordinated crisis management.

🏢 Executive Briefings and Leadership Response

Municipal leadership acknowledged both the successes and the challenges outlined in the day’s report.

The Municipal Manager commended the dedication of infrastructure teams while directing additional resources to resolve the water crisis.
The Executive Mayor praised progress on road and sanitation projects but stressed that restoring water security remains the city’s highest priority.

Both leaders reaffirmed JB Marks’ commitment to transparent communication, urgent problem-solving, and continuous improvement in essential services.

🔎 System Health Summary

Indicator	Reservoirs / Systems
🟢 Stable	4
🟡 Monitoring	2
🔴 Critical	3
🚨 Empty	2
🔧 Isolated	1

As JB Marks Municipality continues to confront its most severe water-system challenge to date, the collective effort of engineers, contractors, and service departments remains central to restoring stability. While progress is visible across multiple service fronts, officials emphasise that public cooperation through water conservation and timely reporting of leaks is vital. The municipality maintains that through persistence, transparency, and coordinated action, full recovery of the city’s infrastructure is not only possible but within reach.

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