According to a statement by Sedibeng Water released on Friday, the water board is unable to pay its raw water supplier - Sand-Vet Water Users Association - due to municipalities’ mounting outstanding debt.

The Sand-Vet Water Users Association has now notified Sedibeng Water that they will stop the supply of raw water to Sedibeng’s Virginia Plant, beginning Friday, with the impact only being felt on Sunday due to some balancing water remaining at the Virginia dam.

As of then no water will be able to be purified unless the situation turns around financially. Affected areas include Allanridge, Hennenman, Ventersburg, Odendaalsrus, Welkom, Virginia and Wesselsbron.

Last month the financially distressed water board which supplies water to municipalities in the Free State, North West and Northern Cape, narrowly managed to pay November salaries following the release of an internal memorandum from the water board’s acting chief executive officer announcing non-payment of salaries over cash-flow problems was issued.

Sedibeng Water was yet to confirm if a bail-out from the Department of Water and Sanitation was the reason behind salaries ultimately being paid. Matjhabeng Local Municipality in particular owes the water board over R4,4 billion for services rendered – the most money owed to Sedibeng by its clients.

November marked the second consecutive month that Sedibeng was unable to pay salaries on time. The water board previously told employees that salary increments would not be implemented this year due to its mounting financial dysfunction.

In October, Matjhabeng and Nala Local Municipalities were plunged into the throes of a water crisis when the water board’s creditors came to roost with the bulk of the pressure coming from Eskom, who ended up cutting supply to Sedibeng’s facilities to just 4 hours a day following non-payment.

Without electrical power for the vast majority of the day, access to water purifying chemicals due to low cash flow, and protesting employees over salary delays, Sedibeng was forced to redirect the pressure onto Matjhabeng and Nala Local Municipalities to make part payments on their debt.

The situation was averted following intervention by provincial and national government officials as well as the obtainment of an interdict by lobby group AfriForum, barring the water board from cutting supply to residents.

OFM News