The scenes unfolding in Goodhope District are nothing short of a disgrace. Fifteen villages are without water. Taps are dry. Lives are disrupted. Health and dignity hang in the balance. And why? Because the Water Utilities Corporation (WUC) and the contractor it hired, a Joint Venture (JV) involving G&M Building Services and Tianyuan Construction, are locked in a bitter, public, and utterly destructive legal fight.
This publication is appalled. Whilst the details of the contractual dispute are complex, involving allegations of unpaid bills, failure to appoint key engineers, forced procurement favouring a specific supplier, and even accusations of corruption, one fact is above above them all: Citizens are being denied a basic human necessity because of this squabble. WUC claims it legally took over part of the pipeline to ease a desperate water shortage, only for the JV to padlock vital access chambers. The JV counters that the project was never formally handed over, WUC hasn’t met its obligations (including paying bills and appointing an engineer), and locking the chambers is a necessary step to protect unfinished work. Serious allegations fly from both sides: WUC talks of criminal acts; the JV points to potential corruption and abuse of office. The public does not care who started it or whose legal arguments are strongest right now. They care about water flowing from their taps. They also care about sanitation, health, and the simple ability to live normally. This stand-off, where essential infrastructure is weaponised in a commercial and legal battle, is utterly unacceptable. It shows a shocking disregard for the people both parties are ultimately meant to serve. WUC exists to provide water. The contractor was hired to build systems to deliver it. Therefore, both warring parties are failing the citizens.
This destructive game must end immediately. We call on both WUC and the JV to prioritise the people by unlocking the chambers now under mutually agreed, independent supervision to restore water supply to all affected villages.
Both parties must step back from the courtroom rhetoric. Engage in urgent, good-faith talks, today, focused solely on resolving the immediate crisis of restoring and maintaining water supply. Use the Dispute Adjudication Board mechanism built into their contract if indeed it exists, but get the water flowing first as a matter of urgency.
WUC must immediately address the core JV complaint regarding the lack of an appointed Engineer. This is a basic contractual requirement blocking progress.
Finally, both sides must agree to fast-tracked, independent mediation to resolve the underlying contractual disputes including unpaid bills, procurement allegations, and handover procedures, separately from the urgent humanitarian need for water. The legal arguments can and must be settled. Investigations into serious allegations should proceed. But processes cannot come at the cost of depriving citizens of water.
WUC management and the JV leadership should look at the villages they are hurting. See the residents forced to rely on tankers or dry taps. Remember why this project exists in the first place.
