KNYSNA NEWS - Provincial and national government have offered to take over Knysna’s water function, following an assessment visit focused on the town’s water crisis on 4 December.
Western Cape Local Government Head of Department Graham Paulse appealed to the Knysna council to put politics aside and accept the assistance offered by the delegation to fix Knysna’s critical water problem.
The delegation included engineers, geohydrologists, and officials from the Department of Water and Sanitation.
The focus now is on the Knysna council meeting scheduled for tomorrow, Thursday 11 December, which is expected to make a decision on the way forward.
Briefed
Paulse has briefed Western Cape Local Government MEC Anton Bredell, who has appealed to residents to work with them by adhering to the water restrictions, while province works with the municipality to find short-term solutions.
During his visit to Knysna, Paulse said: “It is with a heavy heart I say, implementation of actions is the problem … there has been limited progress on [implementing] Section 154, since the last meeting in August 2025”.
Bredell said province has offered to take responsibility for the water function in the short term. “It is now up to Knysna to accept help offered,” he said.
Put politics aside
The provincial and national government delegation visited both the Charlesford and Akkerkloof pump stations.
“We are here to observe and see for ourselves. Help us help you. We are committed!
“We take over to navigate the next three to four months. We will make the critical decisions as far as water is concerned, with you … bringing in the experts and people,” said Paulse.
He said together the municipality and the government would identify the problems and implement the solutions.
“Put the politics aside and do it for the town.”
A detailed item on the meeting and site visits on 4 Decmeber will be prepared, and is expected to be included in today’s council meeting.
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