Honorable Speaker, fellow members, and all those who cherish the very essence of life:
Imagine waking up, reaching for a glass of water, only to find nothing. Water is not just a resource; it is survival. It is dignity. It is hope. Yet, we often take it for granted—until it is gone.
While I could share stories from all over South Africa, today I want to first tell you about my hometown, Burgersdorp, a small town in the North-Eastern part of the Eastern Cape, where just under 20,000 people call this place home. Here, like in many other parts of South Africa, we confront a critical issue impacting the health, environment, and economic stability of our nation: the crisis in municipal water management.
Water shedding in Burgersdorp occurs every second day, with taps only open from 6 a.m. until noon, forcing families to scramble for the limited water available. This situation is made worse by the Joe Gqabi District Municipality’s failure to secure alternative water sources and address the multitude of leaks in the infrastructure. Months pass with water gushing from broken pipes while residents are left to ration what little they can collect.
The situation is dire, as evidenced by the lack of investment in capacity-building programs that would ensure skilled professionals manage our most precious resource. The Department of Water and Sanitation has issued a total of 167 directives to municipalities for their failure in some or other way with water management, yet the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) has failed to translate “capacity-building initiatives” into improved municipal performance. Could the money spent on these initiatives not be better spent in addressing aging infrastructure?
What then, is SALGA doing to address the pressing issue of skills capacity in our municipalities? The answer is disheartening. We see a persistent gap between the need for qualified personnel and the actual capability of our local governments to manage water resources effectively.
Moreover, we must emphasize the necessity of consequence management. It is a phrase that is easily used in meetings when perusing glossy presentations, yet it remains unenforced.
If you are responsible for forcing residents to share water with livestock from a river, you must bear the consequences.
If you are the reason families go weeks without water, you must face the repercussions.
If your negligence leads to schools closing early due to water shortages, you must be held accountable.
As government if you allow leaks to waste precious water for months in a water-scarce environment, you must answer for that as well.
The root cause of these failures lies in political will—or the lack thereof. Cadres and corruption within our municipal administrations have led to an alarming culture of “looking the other way,” while communities continue to suffer.
This can be seen in Maluti-a-Phofung where the Mayor and Speaker, both from the same party, running different factions that keeps council so tied up in their internal fights, that service delivery takes a beating. Here, when two bulls fight, all the residents suffer. In Maluti-a-Phofung, the water board bill is nearly R1 billion. This council is ineffective, and while allowed to continue with no consequences taken or no political will to serve, the residents will suffer.
Honourable speaker we must never forget that water is a vital conduit for development and plays a key role in poverty alleviation. The dignity of our people and development of our nation if futile without stable, reliable water infrastructure.
Another example is the City of Johannesburg, where residents bear the brunt of their uncaring ANC-led council. The city is grappling with a severe water crisis characterised by frequent supply interruptions, decaying infrastructure, and allegations of mismanagement and corruption. These challenges have led to communities having to take water from leaking pipes and businesses having to close down. It is quite worrisome to see how a blind eye to this failing government has led to the downfall of the once prestigious city. We also have to wonder why this municipality has never been placed under a constitutional intervention, adding that the President now wants a Presidential Working Group to rectify the situation in the City of Johannesburg.
In contrast, the DA-run City of Cape Town has proactively over the years addressed the water infrastructure challenges to save residents from a Day Zero scenario. The City implemented comprehensive water demand strategies, achieving a remarkable reduction in water usage by more than 50%. Measures included enforcing personal water use limits, increasing tariffs for excessive consumption, and promoting public awareness campaigns, fostering a culture of water conservation among residents.
What the government should do, is:
- To invest in infrastructure development,
- To fix water leaks within a reasonable time,
- To possibly amend the National Water Act to impose financial penalties on municipalities that exceed a specific percentage of water loss due to leaks and mismanagement,
- To fast-track emergency procurement processes for water infrastructure repairs by exempting urgent water maintenance projects from lengthy tender processes,
- To form partnerships with skilled experts in the water management field.
Finally, we need to see the government take action in these failing municipalities. We need to see more Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) funding allocated under Schedule 6B that relates to indirect spending on projects through national departments or other entities on behalf of municipalities. This will greatly assist in reducing infrastructure backlog and ease the situation for residents in these failing municipalities.
These allocations are intended to address critical infrastructure needs within the specified municipalities, with the national government overseeing the effective utilisation of the funds.
This is a supportive measure to enhance service delivery in areas where municipal capacity is limited, thereby promoting equitable access to essential services across South Africa.
Let us remember: without water, there is no life, no future, and no second chances.
The time for second chances for ANC-run municipalities has also run out/crumbled like the aging infrastructure.