The water overflow from the Newton Reservoir in Waterworks Street in Kimberley has directly impacted the Northern Cape High School’s sporting activities.
Where the school used to be proud of its tennis courts, it has been damaged beyond repair by the water overflow from the reservoir.
This follows the controversial R33 million project awarded to a local business. The funds allocated to the project from 2018 were taken back by National Treasury at a staggering fee of R20 million.
And as such, the walls of the dam are broken to the west side – therefore this causes the dam’s water to drain into the adjacent water drain.
Yvette Lourens, chairperson of the school governing body, says further damage was also caused to the school’s swimming pool.
“It will roughly cost the school between R 100 000 to R 150 000 to repair the pool. The electrical pump room has been flooded. We cannot keep funding the repairs when the problem persists.”
The school is highly concerned with the opportunities this presents to its learners. “We want to give our learners the opportunity to participate in sports and recreational activities. Now learners have to go for private lessons. The pool that is not in use is a big blow for us.”
Further damage to the school also includes the buildings next to the swimming pool, where the foundations have been permanently damaged.
Sello Matsie, spokesperson for the Sol Plaatje Municipality, says the municipality are aware of the challenges at the Newton Reservoir.
“We have appointed a contractor to attend to the problem. The municipal manager, with a team from the municipality, has been to the site to conduct inspection.
“We are very concerned about these leakages, causing an erosion in Newton. It is also leading to water losses, as well as a financial loss to the municipality since this water has been purified.”
“The municipality is looking at permanent solutions for this problem.”
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