Water Wednesday: Inquiry into trouble facing the Water and Sanitation Department
The inquiry into the irregular finances of the Water and Sanitation Department continues as Scopa learns what went wrong in the department.
On 14 March a joint committee of the Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation and the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) met to implement the resolution of the Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation in its Budgetary Review and Recommendation Report (BRRR). The resolution called for a commission of inquiry to deal with aspects of the work of the Department of Water and Sanitation.
Joint Meeting of Water and Sanitation Committee and Scopa Draft Terms of Reference for Establishment of Commission of Inquiry into Functioning of Department of Water and Sanitation https://t.co/9l8G72Znvy pic.twitter.com/R6Z0wU0Fos
— Parliament of RSA (@ParliamentofRSA) March 14, 2018
The department has been criticised for its high turnover of director-generals and the instability of its leadership. On top of this, the department’s sustainability has been questioned after it was found that its water boards racked up R4.5 billion in irregular expenditure during the 2016/17 financial year. This has led to a parliamentary inquiry into allegations of maladministration, corruption and malfeasance. The inquiry is going full speed ahead to uncover why the department has gone bankrupt under the leadership of Nomvula Mokonyane.
Water levels across the country
The recent dam levels report by the Department of Water and Sanitation has indicated a national increase of the water supply systems from 64% last week to 65.4% this week. This, however is still a sharp decline compared to this time last year when the dam levels were at 74.7%.
However, three provinces (Eastern, Western and Northern Cape) remain National Disaster areas as announced by the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs last month due to low water levels
For a more in depth rainfall update, visit WeatherSA or click here. For more information on the water storage levels across the country, visit the DWS site. For a comprehensive drought status report from the Department of Water and Sanitation, click here.
