Harri Mäki

A Case for Strong Municipal Governance: The Water Supply of Pretoria 1855–1935

Abstract The city of Pretoria, South Africa, was found at an artesian water source, exceptional in quality and quantity – its only source from 1855 until 1935. Despite being supplied so abundantly, Pretoria suffered the same problems with water supply and sanitation that were evident elsewhere in South Africa. This was due to deficiencies in municipal government. When the town was founded, it was managed by a magistrate, appointed by and reporting to the central government. The main reason for the unhygienic environment was the lack of clear authority in the nineteenth century. After 1903 the situation improved rapidly when the municipality, under the direction of a competent city engineer, could focus on improving its infrastructure. The limit of the water source in Fountains Valley was reached only in the 1920s, which forced the municipality to limit the lavish consumption of water by the Pretoria residents. This led to the introduction of comprehensive metering in 1927, which only curtailed the consumption by 15 per cent – much less than hoped for. The wasteful water use practices of Pretoria were not easily eradicated and a new water scheme had to be hastily built to augment the citys water supply.

John Fletcher and the Development of Water Supply and Sanitation in Durban, 1889-1918

Abstract The introduction and augmentation of water supply and sanitary reform were amongst the primary municipal issues in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in South Africa. The most important parts of Durbans early water supply and sanitation infrastructure were built during the tenure of John Fletcher as a town engineer in 1889–1918. This article concentrates on the building of this infrastructure and the role and ideas of Fletcher during his tenure. The article goes through the augmenting of the water supply systems, the construction of Durbans waterborne sewerage system and the related sanitary and drainage issues. Attention is also paid to the development of Fletchers ideas about water consumption and water metering. There are also some references here to the connection of racial issues and infrastructure building, but this has purposely been kept as a side issue, as the proper examination of this connection would require an article of its own. The purpose of the article is not to raise John Fletcher on a pedestal, but to focus on him as an official whose relatively long tenure may be used as a frame for illuminating processes such as urbanization and the development of city infrastructure, and the role of the municipal engineer in these processes.