Africa-Press – South-Africa. Water and Sanitation Minister, Pemmy Majodina, said that the country does not have a bulk water crisis; rather, the supply of water is the problem.
She said the billions of rand owed by municipalities to water boards could further exacerbate the provision of water.
On Tuesday, Majodina appeared before Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) for the first time since the start of this administration.
The department said that while there’s currently enough raw water supply to meet national demands, there are deficits at the local level.
Majodina said that of the 144 water operators in the country, 105 of them are performing dismally, hence the water shortages.
“There’s no crisis. When it comes to bulk water supply, we do have, but when it comes to access of water through the taps, there’s a challenge.”
She added there’s only so much intervention the national department can make to ensure local authorities supply communities with water.
“That is why we are bringing reforms, that there must be separation of powers. We cannot be a service authority as well as a service provider.”
By the end of April, municipalities owed water boards R25 billion, and Majodina said they were simply not honouring agreements to pay up.
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