Cape Town - Government has no plan to raise water tariffs, says Minister of Water Affairs Buyelwa Sonjica.
In a pre-budget briefing on Tuesday, Sonjica said the country can be assured of a secure water supply with seven new water supply projects expected to be completed by 2014.
She said no hike in the price of water was "in the pipeline", following allegations made this week by a suspended water affairs official that the price of water was set to escalate 18 times.
"It is unfortunate that an internal matter relating to discipline went out to the public without the internal processes being exhausted," said Sonjica, adding that any such consideration for a tariff increase would involve a participatory process and would have to pass through Nedlac.
She said however the department was looking at its tariff policy and would report soon to the Cabinet on this.
Sonjica said the seven new projects include the Mokolo augmentation project to supply water to the planned Medupi Power station in Lephalele and the Mooi-Mgeni Transfer Scheme project, which would include the construction of the Spring Grove dam around eThekwini and Umgungundlovu.
The first water delivery is expected to be made by 2013.
Sonjica said South Africa is among a few countries in the world where it is safe to drink tap water.
"Our tap water is ranked among the best in the world and complies with world standards," she said.
However, she said that with impending climate change, the country would have to consider other means by which to secure its water supply.
"The problem is that water has been looked at as an after affect when we plan for development and we are trying to change that," said Sonjica, who pointed out that one method the department was looking at to ensure a secure supply of water was the desalination of sea water.
The department was using the rehabilitated a unit on the West Coast which had been in use for over 20 years and was also putting to use a unit in Sedgefield.
Nelson Mandela Municipality was also interested in using desalination technology.
Sonjica said the government would also be encouraging reuse of water, which the town of George was already using.
She said the department was busy drafting a policy on desalination, but that the drought along the Garden Route had stalled the plan.
Four special water courts would be set up across the country and will run as pilot projects from next month in a bid to crack down on those that committed water abuses.
Sonjica said about 200 special prosecutors had been trained and added that she expected these courts to operate similarly to Labour Courts, in that they would only operate at particular times.
Commenting on illegal water use, the department's Deputy Director General Cornelius Ruiters said a fulltime unit had been dedicated to compliance and monitoring and the department was engaging with the Department of Agriculture to combat illegal water use.
Ruiters said water had been stolen at Mokolo, Berg and Olifants (in Mpumalanga) catchment areas and added that 250 million cubic metres of water had been illegally obtained over one year from Vaal.
