Government grabs control of water delivery services

Water and Sanitation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu has effectively nationalised the country’s water delivery services, ceding control to a central body as part of her efforts to address the Covid-19 pandemic.

On Wednesday, the minister gazetted new directions establishing a National Disaster Water Command Centre (NDWCC) at Johannesburg’s Rand Water.

The NDWCC has been tasked with procuring water-related goods and services for the whole of the country during the Covid-19 disaster.

“The primary activities by Rand Water in mitigating the spread of Covid-19 largely involve the procuring of goods and services that must be deployed to all areas that have been identified to be in need of such services,” the new directions read.

“Rand Water is responsible for the procurement, at a national level, for all municipal areas within the Republic of South Africa”.

This comes on the back of reports of water shortages during the national lockdown and of Amnesty International this week urging SA “to urgently ensure that everyone has access to sufficient, safe and reliable water as a protection measure against Covid-19”.

Water expert Dr Anthony Turton said yesterday many municipalities simply did not have the capacity to deliver services at the moment and that contracting outside help could take “weeks, if not months” for them.

He said the new directions allowed for dysfunctional municipalities to be bypassed.

“It’s a good thing that the department has taken control, it’s something it should have done a long time ago,” he said.

The new directions have also effectively wrested control from the country’s irrigation boards and their resources for the duration of the disaster.

“The department or its authorised agent may, in writing, require any of the services, property and assets of the irrigation boards, water user associations and catchment management agencies, to be put at the disposal of the department or its authorised agents for use in executing any activities for purposes of combating and preventing the spread of Covid-19 until the national state of disaster is terminated”.

Turton said this could aggravate simmering tensions in the agriculture sector.

“There are hundreds – possibly even thousands – of irrigation boards and they’re generally quite well-run,” he said.

He said, however, that they were largely not diverse and as a result, were at the centre of a long-standing tug-of-war.

The Transvaalse Landbou-unie’s Drickus Botha said yesterday it was important that those in need had access to clean water.

“The problem of quality drinking water is a permanent problem, why use temporary measures to address permanent issues?” he said.

– bernadettew@citizen.co.za

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