​Lerato Mailoane 
Government has put in place short- and medium-term intervention measures to resolve the poor-quality water crisis for the Hammanskraal community in Pretoria. 
On Thursday, President Cyril Ramaphosa, who was companied by Gauteng Province Premier Panyaza Lesufi, ministers, and the Executive Mayor of the City of Tshwane, Cllr Cilliers Brink, visited the community where 23 people have died due to a cholera outbreak. 
President Ramaphosa's first stop before meeting the community was at the Rooiwal Wastewater Treatment plant, where he checked the status of the plant, followed by a community meeting at Temba Stadium.
The president noted that the plant was built in the 1950s and has not been maintained for quite some time.
"The plant needs R60 million monthly, but the Tshwane Municipality only gives it R14 million rands for maintenance. 
"That's the first problem because the money is not enough, and though you pay for your water in this area, your money is not used properly. The municipality was informed to maintain it but failed to maintain this water works," said Ramaphosa, who called for an end to awarding infrastructure tenders to unskilled people.
He noted that the tenders, which the City of Tshwane issued for repairing and extension of the water works, were left uncompleted due to irregularities. 
"The municipality issued big tenders, and the work was half done up to 68%. The tender had to be cancelled because there were irregularities," he said before noting that the country's infrastructure maintenance culture is deficient.
"We build installations, some of them the most beautiful, and when we finish making them, we forget about them and about maintaining them. The right approach and culture is that once you build a facility or an installation, you must start maintaining it from day one to function well and advance into the future.
"When you don't maintain the machines, which work day and night, they will break down. This must end…we must start maintaining our infrastructure as South Africans," the president urged.
The delegation unveiled the interventions that will be effected in the area, including the deployment of water tankers, the building of a waterworks facility in the next six months and the upgrade and expansion of the Rooiwal Wastewater Treatment plant to the tune of R4 billion.
The Development Bank will work with the Tshwane Municipality and the Department of Water and Sanitation in this regard. 
In the short term, Ramaphosa said the City of Tshwane will continue providing the community tanker water. 
He also announced that the government has invited Magalies Water, who will build new and smaller waterworks.
"They would be able to complete the work in the next six months. You will carry on using tinkering water supplying clean water, but it won't go on for long," he said.
The president used the community engagement session to apologise to the community for his administration's failure to provide residents with clean water suitable for consumption.
"We are sorry that we have not been able to provide you with the basic human right of clean water and that it has taken people's lives. We have not lived up to your expectation, and we are now going to do things right," Ramaphosa said.
He further urged residents to refrain from drinking unboiled water but continue boiling it for consumption.