Build One South Africa (Bosa) deputy president Nobuntu Hlazo-Webster has slammed Minister of Water and Sanitation Pemmy Majodina’s announcement of indefinite water supply cuts for Johannesburg residents, starting from Tuesday, as a “water-shedding gift” from the Government of National Unity (GNU).
This comes after Majodina announced on Monday that Joburg Water will start level one water throttling in the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) from Thursday, November 14, and residents may have water until December if they adhere to restrictions.
The decision comes as the department attempts to address the ongoing water supply problem endured by the metro and Gauteng province.
Residents across the city have been facing severe water problems for some time, owing to population growth, illegal connections, ageing and damaged infrastructure and poor maintenance, and severe leaks.
“Gauteng has no drought, (but), yes we are in a crisis, a crisis that is caused by lack of maintenance on water infrastructure, illegal connections,” Majodina said.
“With the commitment that we agreed upon yesterday (on Sunday), we can turn around the situation and people of Gauteng are going to have water, if they adhere to the restriction of level one,” she said.
Meanwhile, in Parliament, Bosa’s Hlazo-Webster compared the water crisis to the ongoing energy crisis.
”If load shedding was the gift from the previous administration, water shedding is the gift from this administration.
“Johannesburg now joins scores of communities and towns across South Africa who have faced intermittent water supply,” she said.
Hlazo-Webster argued that experts continue to warn that the water crisis will worsen if there is no urgent investment in infrastructure and strict accountability measures for all stakeholders.
“The minister (referring to Majodina) herself has acknowledged that R90 billion is required just to clear the existing infrastructure backlogs, not to mention funding for future projects to keep up with demand.”
Hlazo-Webster noted what she labelled as a “blame-game” between the national department and the municipalities, instead of taking accountability.
She quoted Majodina’s remarks during a media briefing in August, where stated: "(people) don’t seem to appreciate that the provision of water services is the responsibility of municipalities, not the national Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS).
“It would be a priority for us to correct this misunderstanding and to encourage communities and leaders to hold their municipalities accountable,” Hlazo-Webster quoted Majodina as saying.
But, she argued that accountability lies with Majodina, pointing out concerning audit outcomes for her department.
Hlazo-Webster said Majodina must provide answers on water supply projects, which she said that out of a target of 5,453 projects, only 747 have been completed, stating that it is just 13%.
“(Including the) bucket sanitation system eradication with a target of 12,000, yet only 696 completed by the previous year - that’s less than 6%, and dam rehabilitation of which out of nine planned dam rehabilitations, only one has been completed - that’s only 11%,” she said.
Hlazo-Webster asked, “How can municipalities be expected to supply water if the infrastructure remains broken or simply does not exist? And when municipalities are unable to supply water, the minister’s hands are not tied.”
She said the Water Services Act allows the transferring of distribution authority to non-profits and private service providers where municipalities fail.
Hlazo-Webster said the current water crisis reflects that government is “either indifferent to the devastating impact of unreliable water supply on its citizens or lacking the political will to make meaningful change”.
She called on Majodina to take responsibility for the state of the nation’s water infrastructure and delivery, rather than deflecting it.
IOL Politics