As thousands of new homes are being built in Droogeheuwel and Dan Tloome, West Rand residents are questioning whether the area’s water and electricity infrastructure will be able to keep up with the growing demand, while also calling for greater clarity on municipal billing and indigent support.
These concerns took centre stage during a media tour of the developments on Wednesday, where Gauteng MEC for Human Settlements Tasneem Motara showcased new bulk infrastructure designed to support the expanding communities.
While provincial leadership highlighted investments in water and electricity infrastructure, residents remained concerned about long-term service reliability and grid capacity as more families move into the new housing developments.
Motara said moving residents into formal housing enables municipalities to better manage utility consumption through individual metering.
“These people, whether they resided in a formal dwelling or an informal dwelling, were using water. But now there’s control because it’s metered,” Motara said. “Informal settlements actually add to the burden because they connect illegally or connect to water that you can’t bill.”
She explained that individual water meters would help municipalities, including Rand West City Local Municipality, accurately monitor water consumption while improving the administration of indigent support policies.
During the tour, Motara also highlighted provincial investment in bulk infrastructure, including a new four-megalitre steel water reservoir fitted with a pressure booster station at Droogeheuwel, as well as electrical switching stations built to supply power across multiple phases of the developments.
She said the provincial government had stepped in because many municipalities lacked the financial capacity to deliver the required bulk infrastructure.
“We are also putting infrastructure to help the municipality with the water services because the issues are quite complex. The municipality is supposed to build that infrastructure, but they just don’t have financial capacity,” she said.
Despite the new infrastructure, engagement with beneficiaries during the site visit revealed that many residents relocating from informal settlements are using household water meters for the first time.
Residents said more public education is needed to help communities understand municipal billing systems and the indigent registration process.
“Most of us didn’t know the meaning of things like indigent registrations so we can explain what it means to our children in simpler terms,” said beneficiary Zelda Mothotsi.
She warned that young adults who qualify for housing could make uninformed decisions if they are not provided with enough information about how municipal services and billing work.
As handovers continue across Dan Tloome and Droogeheuwel, residents say the long-term success of the new developments will depend not only on access to quality housing, but also on the municipality’s ability to provide reliable water and electricity services.
