Archive photo (Photo: Maroela Media)
While millions of residents of Gauteng sit with dry taps every day, it appears that financial mismanagement and the random use of funds have pushed the province’s water crisis to breaking point.
New revelations suggest that around R5 billion a year is being lost in Gauteng metros as critical infrastructure upgrades grind to a halt.
The DA has now made an urgent appeal to municipal councils across Gauteng and other areas with water problems to accept resolutions that strictly earmark income from water and sanitation for specific use. This follows an investigation by Sunday Times which exposed the extent of the crisis.
Stephen Moore, the DA’s spokesperson on water and sanitation, says the situation is unacceptable.
(Photo: Ihsaan Haffejee/ GroundUp)
“The DA calls on municipal councils across Gauteng, and every municipality with water problems in South Africa, to urgently adopt resolutions to earmark income from water and sanitation for specific use. This follows revelations that around R5 billion a year is lost in Gauteng metros while infrastructure upgrades drag on and taps run dry,” says Moore.
According to Moore, financial mismanagement and the redirection of funding have hampered crucial repairs. In Johannesburg alone, the reported losses over the past eight months amount to around R2.4 billion, while Tshwane is estimated to lose R1.9 billion per year due to leaks, outdated infrastructure and delayed maintenance.
Debt paralyzes recovery
The financial collapse behind the scenes is even more worrying. Johannesburg Water currently owes R265 million to contractors and R377 million to Rand Water. In addition, the cost to repair 43 reservoirs with structural leaks is estimated at more than R1.3 billion. To make matters worse, Rand Water is reportedly demanding a deposit of more than R2 billion to secure future payments.
Archive photo of Rand Water. (Photo: Tania Heyns/Maroela Media)
Moore emphasizes that the crisis is not due to a shortage of water in dams, but rather to a collapse of the distribution network.
“Even though dams have enough water, residents are still left with dry taps. The problem is not a lack of water, but failed municipal distribution and the trickle away of the very funding needed to restore it.
“Water revenue and funding must stop being diverted to vanity projects, corruption and unrelated operating deficits,” says Moore.
Emergency measures only temporary solution
Although the national government has approved temporary additional withdrawal by Rand Water for the period February to June, Moore warns that this does not address the root of the evil.
“It is a necessary short-term stabilizer, and the DA has consistently insisted on urgent national action to protect residents. But it does not repair what municipalities have broken, and it will not prevent the next crisis unless municipal management and finances change. Without earmarked budgets, promised infrastructure projects remain only on paper,” he says.
Moore adds that the consequences of this neglect affect the whole of society: “Without a reliable water supply, schools and clinics cannot function properly, businesses struggle to make a living and communities are faced with serious health risks.”
The DA believes that the most immediate solution lies with the municipal councils themselves. According to Moore, councils are empowered to determine how budgets are allocated. He suggests reinvesting water revenue into repairing leaky pipes, reservoirs and pumping stations, along with transparent monthly public reporting on water losses and repairs.
“South Africans deserve clean drinking water when they turn on their taps. The sequestration of water budgets is the first practical step that municipalities can take immediately to make this a reality, and to ensure that emergency stabilization measures are not wasted by permanent municipal failure.”