Jacob Mamabolo, MEC for Corporative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) in Gauteng. Picture: Twitter/Jacob Mamabolo
Jacob Mamabolo, MEC for Corporative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) in Gauteng, said the provincial government will set up an intergovernmental task team to help municipalities with water challenges.
Mamabolo was speaking at the Gauteng legislature on Wednesday during his department’s budget vote.
Gauteng municipalities have been struggling with water challenges with households being left without access to water for hours daily.
The water outages and maintenance issues have led to tensions between Rand Water and municipalities.
Mamabolo said he has been meeting various stakeholders such as Rand Water, the Department of Water and Sanitation and municipal heads to ensure that spheres of government work together.
“I am very much pleased to announce that we will be establishing the provincial water intergovernmental relations committee or the IGR (inter-governmental relations) committee on water supply and we intend to convene early next week,” he said.
Mamabolo said the provincial government will also conduct site visits and road shows to municipalities as part of the work of the IGR.
“This is the best way to collaborate with, to work with and to support municipalities as a critical sphere of government,” he said.
The Gauteng Cogta has been allocated R1 billion for the 2024-2025 financial year, with a total of R2.3 billion over the medium-term expenditure framework.
“These … funds … will help bolster our ongoing initiatives, particularly our most comprehensive response to the energy crisis and water,” he said.
During a debate on Mamabolo’s speech, opposition parties raised concerns about the water crisis and its effects on development projects, households and businesses.
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Meanwhile, Mamabolo said the provincial government was embarking on several projects that would help municipalities that are struggling with load shedding and its effects.
“We have concluded an important partnership with the City of Johannesburg through City Power,” he said.
Mamabolo said around R53 million would be allocated for the coordination of infrastructure and managing disasters in municipalities.
He also said there would be funds set aside to help struggling municipalities that are unable to pay their debt, but these municipalities would have to be scrutinised before being bailed out.
