Africa-Press – South-Africa. Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu has called for more sustainable water solutions in KwaZulu-Natal, denouncing municipalities’ provision of temporary water services in the province.
Mchunu made the remarks during a ministerial working session with KZN Midlands municipalities on Friday at Nauntons Guest House in Ladysmith.
During the session, he and his deputy, Dikeledi Magadzi, extensively engaged the uMzinyathi, uThukela, and Amajuba District Municipalities with the aim of getting to grips with the water and sanitation challenges there, and to devise means of addressing the issues.
Mchunu urged municipal representatives to stop taking pride when providing temporary services, such as delivering water tanks and ventilated improved pit latrine toilets, but to put a lot of emphasis on long-term solutions.
“I would like to state this unequivocally: let us complete all projects that are meant to provide water supply and sanitation services to the people, even those that have been white elephants for as long as 10 years,” he said.
He also cautioned municipalities against investing in emergency measures such as boreholes at the expense of piped water and reticulation.
Risimati Mathye, the deputy director-general of water services management at the Department of Water and Sanitation, said non-completion of water infrastructure, such as water treatment works, leads to vandalism and theft because in most cases, sites are left unattended.
Earlier this year, the SA Human Rights Commission said it would investigate why Tongaat and its surrounds still didn’t have fresh water after devastating floods in the province in April. The force of the water and the mudslides led to such severe damage to infrastructure, and it was expected to take 10 months to properly restore water services in the area.
Some districts have also raised concerns ahead of the festive season about the financial implications of the water shortage because popular tourist destinations, such as Margate, Uvongo, Port Shepstone, Shelly Beach and Port Edward, are affected.
Beaches in the eThekwini municipality have also been closed due to sewage overflow issues.
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