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*Update: GRDM continues to support Knysna Municipality during water infrastructure repairs*![]()
15 May 2025![]()
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Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) Disaster Management has had a busy week assisting Knysna Municipality (KM). This, after the GRDM received a formal request to assist KM with water tankering to communities in Rheenendal. ![]()
KM activated a Joint Operations Centre (JOC) yesterday after the main domestic water pump broke. The response to the service delivery challenges will be coordinated from their JOC. Role players in the JOC include the Western Cape Provincial Government, GRDM Disaster Management, Knysna SAPS, Knysna Infrastructure Group, The Greater Knysna Business Chamber, KM Law Enforcement, Traffic Services, and KM Fire & Rescue Services.![]()
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"Only one 6000-litre water tanker was dispatched initially to assist Knysna, but it soon became evident that additional tankers would be required. The tankering service was beefed-up to two units, which now includes an additional 10 000-litre unit. The GRDM has been assisting since last weekend and continues to provide its support the Knysna and its communities," said Andrew Stroebel, GRDM Executive Mayor. ![]()
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"We will continue to assist local municipalities within our resource capacity. Previously we assisted Kannaland and Oudtshoorn Municipalities when they also experienced challenges with their water infrastructure."![]()
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According the GRDM Head of Disaster Management, Gerhard Otto, the "coordination of the water tankering is done by the Knysna Technical Services Section. Up to yesterday, 14 May, the focus was to provide water to the Rheenendal community but due to the water situation deteriorating, the tankering of water had to be extended to other areas in Knysna like Dam-se-Bos and Nekkies".
BREAKING NEWS - this story will be updated as more details come in.![]()
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RHEENENDAL AND KEURHOEK LAUNCH PROTEST.![]()
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13.00 UPDATE: Officials finally arrived and spoke to the residents, but no convincing timeline for repairs to pump given. ![]()
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12.47 UPDATE: still no sign of the Knysna Mayor or other municipal representatives . There is a buzz amongst the demonstrators that they are perhaps being 'outwaited' . Talk of moving forward at 12.00.![]()
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12 Days without water has fueled fire in the hearts of Keurhoek and Rheenendal residents, and this morning they have taken to the streets in protest, blocking the road with burning branches and demanding that local authorities hear their pleas for a solution.![]()
"We have been told it's a broken pump, yet it still hasn't been fixed by the Municipality," said one local, "How can they have no back up system in place. We have families, creches, businesses - all trying to survive this. We are so tired of being the forgotten community." ![]()
He said that bowsers had been brought in, but the water was not fit for drinking. Some residents had even reported finding tadpoles and other living things in the delivered water.![]()
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Further frustration, and indeed danger to the residents, is the failure of the sewage system in the same area. This is probably linked to the water outage. ![]()
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Community leaders were determined to keep the demonstration peaceful, and had met with SAPS and Knysna Law Enforcement on the Wednesday evening to give assurances of this. ![]()
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At 9am the community were awaiting the arrival of their councillor Hilton Stroebel, hoping he would have definite answers as to when they could expect a solution. But community leaders claim they went to the councillor's home with a SAPD member to fetch him but he refused, saying that he did not have the skills to fix the pump, so there was no need for him to come..![]()
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There was notable police presence, but the march was kept peaceful. At one stage a SAPS member attempted to pass a message on to the community to say the Municipality has taken note of and acknowledges their problems, but he was stopped fairly quickly by a very frustrated resident who suggested that if this was the case, the Mayor and MM should come and tell them so themselves. ![]()
"We will be here waiting. Until then, we are only letting through ambulances and other emergency vehicles," he said.
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*JOINT OPERATIONS CENTRE ACTIVATED TO COORDINATE WATER RELIEF EFFORTS IN KNYSNA* ![]()
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Knysna Municipality has activated a Joint Operations Centre (JOC) as of 14:30 today, 14 May 2025, to coordinate and manage the ongoing water supply challenges. The JOC will remain operational until the situation normalizes. This is in accordance with the Disaster Management Act, and the Disaster Management Plan of the municipality.![]()
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The activation of the JOC ensures a coordinated, multi-agency response and includes the Western Cape Government, Garden Route District Municipality Disaster Management, Knysna SAPS, Knysna Infrastructure Group, The Greater Knysna Business Chamber, Law Enforcement, Traffic Services, and Fire & Rescue Services.![]()
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“We are grateful for the substantial support received from the Western Cape Government and the Garden Route District Municipality,” said Knysna Executive Mayor Cllr Thando Matika “We also wish to acknowledge the invaluable assistance from the Knysna Infrastructure Group and The Greater Knysna Business Chamber, who have both come in at a critical time to strengthen our response.”![]()
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Two water tankers are currently servicing the Rheenendal area. Once water system stability is achieved there, these vehicles will be redirected to support the broader Knysna area.![]()
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The Garden Route District Municipality has provided two water trucks, and neighbouring municipalities have indicated their willingness to support Knysna Municipality’s relief efforts.![]()
A total of six water trucks are delivering water to affected communities. ![]()
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To ensure effective distribution, the affected areas have been divided into zones. Water deliveries take place daily from 07:00 to 23:00, with each zone receiving dedicated water truck services to meet its unique needs.![]()
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This collaborative, cross-sector approach ensures that water is delivered swiftly and efficiently to all affected communities. All participating stakeholders remain fully committed to mitigating the impact of the disruption and restoring normality as soon as possible.![]()
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We thank all partners and residents for their patience during this challenging time.![]()
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We will communicate updates in due course.![]()
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#inclusive #innovative #inspired
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