Africa-Press – South-Africa. There have been heated exchanges in Parliament between Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero and the Water and Sanitation Committee, who have accused him of dodging key questions on solving the city’s water crisis.
In particular, the committee is not satisfied with his response on why Johannesburg Water is not adequately funded to deal with maintenance and infrastructure backlogs.
Earlier this week, the Water and Sanitation Director General Sean Phillips told the committee that R4 billion of Joburg Water’s budget had been taken back by the council.
Morero said the city has many competing demands, and revenue generated from water sales can’t all be passed on to Joburg Water.
Morero said he hopes by June next year, water revenue can, with the blessing of the National Treasury, be ringfenced for water provision.
“This will be at the pace and scale the city can afford. Understanding that we need to do a balancing act in view of other needs or competing needs.”
But committee chairperson Leon Basson was not buying Morero’s reasoning, saying a council resolution could enforce a ringfencing mechanism.
“You are not serious about the water problems in Johannesburg. I’ve asked your questions directly. Don’t waffle your answers. When are you going to ringfence the money for water so that the community can get water in their pipes? That’s what you need to answer me now.”
The committee is also not satisfied with how the city intends to pay contractors who’ve halted water projects after Morero said the city is working well with them.
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