The Rand Water CEO explained that a substantial component of the annual maintenance investment goes toward reservoir inspections.
Rand Water spends close to R400 million annually on repairs and maintenance, the utility’s Group Chief Executive Sipho Mosai revealed on Tuesday as the company prepares to launch its most extensive winter maintenance programme affecting water supply across Gauteng.
The substantial investment in infrastructure upkeep comes as Gauteng residents brace for water disruptions lasting up to 107 hours, beginning Thursday.
Mosai’s disclosure of the annual maintenance budget provides new insight into the scale of investment required to maintain the province’s ageing water infrastructure amid persistent supply challenges.
The maintenance programme begins at a time when many Gauteng areas are already experiencing days without water, with some communities having no access to water at all.
Rand Water’s strategic deployment of maintenance budget
Mosai explained how the utility strategically deploys its significant annual maintenance investment throughout the year, with major infrastructure work concentrated during low-demand periods to minimise consumer impact.
“We conduct our maintenance periodically. But periodically we mean throughout the year, both the financial and the calendar year. We spend close to R400 million per annum as Rand Water on a yearly basis on repairs and maintenance,” Mosai said.
The CEO outlined how this substantial budget is strategically utilised during specific periods when water consumption naturally decreases, allowing for comprehensive infrastructure work while reducing disruption to consumers.
“What we do is that we conduct our major maintenance through what we call low-demand periods. The first low demand period is the winter months. Generally, the water consumption or usage drops in winter for a number of reasons,” he stated.
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Winter timing maximises value of maintenance investment
Mosai detailed how seasonal consumption patterns allow Rand Water to maximise the value of its R400 million annual investment by scheduling major work when demand is lowest.
“The first is obviously households shy away from topping their swimming pools. Secondly, we mostly see that consumers use water for their lawns and taps. [However, during] this period of time, kikuyu grass, the main one that is used in South Africa, becomes dominant; as a result, in the period of May, June, July, and leading all the way to August, the demand drops,” Mosai explained.
This strategic timing ensures the utility can conduct extensive infrastructure work while minimising the impact on already water-stressed communities, making the substantial maintenance investment more effective.
Regulatory compliance drives maintenance spending
The CEO revealed that a significant portion of the annual R400 million budget is driven by mandatory compliance with various safety and operational regulations governing water infrastructure.
“The first one is the operational health and safety act and its regulations that determine our main tenants’ requirements to go and ensure that our infrastructure is compliant with health and safety regulations. But of course, because we’re dealing with mechanical and electrical infrastructure, there are regulations that speak to that,” Mosai said.
Major budget allocation for reservoir safety
Mosai explained that a substantial component of the annual maintenance investment goes toward reservoir inspections, which are classified under stringent dam safety regulations requiring comprehensive structural assessments.
“And most importantly for our reservoirs. Our reservoirs, reservoirs essentially are water storage or clean water storage tanks. They are classified as dams. So they have to be compliant with dam safety regulations,” he stated.
The regulatory framework requires physical inspections that can only be conducted when facilities are completely offline, representing a significant portion of the maintenance budget.
“These regulations dictate of us take away or take or conduct maintenance in this reservoir to go inside the reservoirs for the structural engineer and engineers to inspect physically the concrete structure of these reservoirs,” Mosai explained.
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