Water down the drain as iLembe district municipality loses R124 million in water

A whopping 60% of iLembe district municipality’s water – amounting to R124 million – is stolen, lost or simply leaks away.

Delivering the Auditor General’s report for the 2019/20 financial year to a special council meeting at the iLembe auditorium in KwaDukuza on April 21, AG representative Martin Coates said the losses were caused by illegal connections, reservoir overflows and main and service connection leaks.

Ongoing water services challenges have continued to plague the district municipality whose core function is to provide water and sanitation to all 4 local municipalities in the region (KwaDukuza, Ndwedwe, Maphumulo and Mandeni).

In the previous financial year (2018-19) average water losses were estimated to be around 50% (R100 million).

According to Water and Sanitation department (DWS) spokesperson, Ratua Sputnik, in South Africa the average water losses vary in municipalities between 37% and 45%, however he said the ideal should be 10% or lower.

Global best practice is about 15%.

Siza Water, whose concession area lies between the Tongaat River and the Umvoti River and incorporates the urban areas of Zimbali, Ballito, Salt Rock, Sheffield Beach and Tinley Manor, recorded average water losses of less than 15%.

In his 2019/20 third quarter municipal budget performance review speech, KZN MEC Ravin Pillay flagged iLembe as one of the districts with the lowest spending on repairs and maintenance (48.8%).

In a statement last month iLembe District municipality mayor Cllr Siduduzo Gumede agreed that ageing infrastructure was central to the region’s water crisis but said that R18 million had been set aside in the 2021/22 budget for the construction of new infrastructure to supply a growing population.

Cllr Gumede said the replacement of ageing infrastructure on the reticulation system in Warrenton and Shakaville which started in June 2020 is 75% complete.

While the district did away with its system of providing free basic water to all households about 6 years ago – electing only to provide this service to registered indigent households – the cost of developing and refurbishing water infrastructure remains high.

DA caucus leader MS Sing said the municipality was in a state of crisis and decisive action and stronger political will was needed to solve the problem and avert a potential water crisis.

“We have to overhaul the way the municipality is operating, ” he said.

Sing cited lack of maintenance on infrastructure and lack of consequences as the biggest issues.

IFP councillor, Moosa Motala said in a water-scarce country, the municipality’s efforts to prevent the unnecessary loss of water has remained a challenge and said lack of maintenance on infrastructure was the biggest service-delivery problem.

“Water cuts have plagued the district municipality for the past five years. New infrastructure is being constructed but existing infrastructure is neglected – it is not just a matter of fixing leaking pipes,” he said.

A third special adjustment budget in the 2020/2021 financial year was also tabled at the meeting.

The final revenue budget for the 2021/22 financial year was adjusted to an estimated R1 billion while expenditure was adjusted to R967 million.

The proposed capital budget was adjusted down by R2.1 million to R255.9 million.

The municipality received a financially unqualified audit opinion with findings with R58.7 million irregular expenditure in the year under review.

Material debt impairment of R56.19 million was also flagged by the auditor-general.