On the second day of the Provincial Week programme in the Northen Cape, National Council of Provinces (NCOP) delegates focused on water, sanitation and human settlement projects and found that there has been some progress since the delegation last visited the province in 2024.
The delegation was pleased to visit the Calvinia East Sewerage Pump station, which now serves the greater Hantam Municipality area. Previously, residents relied on a tanker for water. The Chief Whip of the NCOP, Mr Kenneth Mmoiemang, asked what happens when electricity supply to the pump station fails and was told that the pump is calibrated to adjust for such emergencies, relieving Calvinia residents of their past sewerage challenges.
The delegation also visited a state-of-the-art water purification facility in Calvinia that serves the greater Hantam Municipality. This facility is linked with numerous water boreholes stretching for 60 km. This electronically driven facility has mitigated the water challenges that beset these communities who previously depended on a dam that was built in the 1950s.
On the human settlement front, the delegation inspected the project to build 200 houses at a cost of R1 billion and were impressed by the model house and the progress achieved thus far.
Related to this project is the transformation of the village of Middelpos into a fully-fledged town. According to the Hantam Municipality’s representative, this sleepy spot will become one of the thriving towns of this municipality. The NCOP delegation was told that the feasibility study has been done and the project plan for this development has been approved.
In pursuit of this goal, the municipality has applied for bulk water services, streetlights and other infrastructure to transform this outpost. Now that the infrastructure studies are completed, construction will begin in earnest in the next six months.
Mr Mmoiemang urged the municipality to move with speed to expedite this development process by drafting a costed business plan to ensure that when the delegation visits this project in future, they see a marked improvement.
At the end of their oversight visit, the delegation held a public meeting with Hantam Municipality communities. Residents took the opportunity to raise myriad challenges besetting their communities, including crime, drug trafficking and unemployment. They said they lack proper healthcare services and their clinics have no permanent doctors. Doctors come twice a week, which often creates a huge backlog. They also asked for mobile clinics for rural areas where there are no clinic facilities. Educationally, they said there are no proper careers offices and children are not coached in STEM subjects, which limits their children’s chances of employment.
Abel Mputing
20 November 2025
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