The construction of the R27.5-million uMkhomazi Water Project Phase 1 (uMWP-1), a major bulk water infrastructure scheme in KwaZulu-Natal, is set to start in January 2028, a year after the planned issue of the construction tender in January 2027.
The expectation is that the project will start delivering water in July 2032, said Trans-Caledon Tunnel Authority (TCTA) project finance specialist Thabani Nomvalo during Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) sector-specific consultations on the proposed 2027/28 raw water tariffs on Thursday.
The DWS raw water tariff consultation, held in Pretoria, is a part of the department’s yearly process of setting raw water use charges, and provided stakeholders an opportunity to provide input.
Discussing the uMWP-1 and its proposed tariffs, Nomvalo noted that the professional service providers (PSPs) / consultants’ contracts for the project’s tunnel and dam were awarded in 2024.
“Our colleagues from the project management and implementation division at the TCTA are planning to issue construction tender documents to the market in January 2027, and construction is scheduled to start in January 2028,” he explained.
