Water crisis: Municipalities up the creek without a paddle

South Africa’s water resources are under immense pressure in terms of poor water governance, reactive water management and dilapidated water infrastructure, water expert Professor Anja du Plessis said yesterday.

High water losses and non-functioning waste-water treatment works contributed to intermittent or no water supply in rural areas, small towns and metros.

“The current water situation in Gauteng is a good example of the effects of over two decades of poor water governance and management, leading to overall neglect, causing water shortages as well as in some cases, questionable quality of our drinking water,” she said.

Du Plessis said the department of water and sanitation was the main custodian of the country’s water resources and had allowed already scarce water resources to be placed under additional strain due to seemingly no or poor planning, poor governance, continued non-accountability due to non-enforcement of current legislation, policies and strategies.

“The current water crises did not happen overnight,” she said, “with research showing a watershed moment in the early 2000s when the country’s water problems escalated at an exponential rate, causing poor quality and access, as well as intermittent or a total lack of water supply and sanitation services.”

Du Plessis said Rand Water and other water utilities, and South African municipalities had contributed to intermittent or no water supply due to poor planning, reactive crisis management and no proper contingency plans in place to ensure the supply of water of suitable quality to rural areas, towns and metros.

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Minister of Water and Sanitation Senzo Mchunu is expected to announce a plan of action today after meeting with residents of South Hills and Ebony Park in Johannesburg and of Soshanguve and Waterkloof in Pretoria and looking into the water supply challenges in Gauteng.

Special Investigating Unit (SIU) spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago this week confirmed President Cyril Ramaphosa had signed Proclamation R138 of 2023.

It authorised the SIU to investigate allegations of maladministration and corruption in the affairs of Tshwane metropolitan municipality during the procurement and contracting for construction of phase one upgrades and the urgent refurbishment at the Rooiwal Waste Water Works.

READ: R295m Rooiwal tender: Edwin Sodi and Tshwane metro to face SIU scrutiny

The proclamation covers allegations of unlawful and improper conduct between 1 January 2018 and 22 September this year.

Water expert Dr Ferrial Adam said the SIU’s investigation into a multimillion-rand water project awarded to tenderpreneur Edwin Sodi should have happened years ago.

“Sadly, people had to lose their lives before the Hammanskraal drinking water became important,” she said.

“This is not the only contract Sodi had with the state. It may be wise to look into others, too, and make an example of him.

“Those who are guilty must become examples to the rest of the country and face the full might of the law, including the people in the city who signed off on the procurement process and are supposed to monitor the progress of Rooiwal. If money was paid and the work was not done, those who had oversight need to be held to account,” she added.

Adam said the state of South Africa’s water was dire and the state of sanitation even worse.

“We have a good minister. The rot is at a local government level and that needs a complete overhaul if anything is going to change,” she said.