President Cyril Ramaphosa says government is accelerating efforts to expand access to safe and reliable water to underserved communities as part of honouring the legacy of former President Nelson Mandela.
In his weekly newsletter on Monday following the Mandela Day commemorations on 18 July, President Ramaphosa said celebrating Madiba's birthday through acts of service reflects a commitment to continue the work he devoted his life to.
“For Madiba, the freedom he fought for was not merely the right to vote. It was the freedom to live with dignity, to live in decent conditions and to enjoy the basic necessities of life,” the President said.
He said government had launched the National Water Access Acceleration Programme through decentralised water supply schemes to respond to the need for safe and reliable water in underserved communities.
The initiative forms part of the priorities announced in this year's State of the Nation Address to tackle the country's water crisis, which continues to affect households, communities and businesses.
The programme was launched in Hammanskraal, Gauteng, a community that has faced longstanding water challenges and where lives were lost during a cholera outbreak three years ago.
As part of the intervention, boreholes were handed over to the community, and the Klipdrift Package Water Treatment Plant was officially commissioned.
Similar projects, including borehole drilling, groundwater development, rainwater harvesting and the rehabilitation of existing water supply schemes, have also been rolled out in parts of Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape.
According to the President, the programme is designed to reduce the time between identifying a community's water needs and delivering functioning water supply systems by using solutions suited to local conditions instead of relying solely on large-scale infrastructure projects.
President Ramaphosa noted that expanding access to water has been one of democracy's major achievements, with the 2022 Census showing that more than 82% of households have access to piped water either inside their dwelling or within their yard.
He added that the proportion of households without access to piped water has more than halved since 1996.
However, the President acknowledged that many municipalities continue to struggle with maintaining infrastructure, managing water services and responding urgently to service delivery challenges.
“We must acknowledge that in too many municipalities, government has not succeeded with the maintenance of infrastructure, to manage water services properly and to respond with sufficient urgency. Parts of our country are experiencing worsening water shortages and deteriorating water quality. In some places, ageing water infrastructure has collapsed,” he said.
To address these challenges, President Ramaphosa said government established the National Water Crisis Committee earlier this year to coordinate interventions across all spheres of government.
He said the committee is focused on strengthening municipal water and sanitation services, increasing investment in water infrastructure, reforming water sector institutions, improving the legal and regulatory framework, and tackling corruption and criminality in the sector.
“As we learned during the energy crisis, sustainable solutions require putting the necessary building blocks in place rather than relying on quick fixes. Our response to the water crisis focuses on sustainable, long-term reform,” the President said.
He said the National Water Action Plan brings together national, provincial and local government, water boards, regulators and water service authorities under a single programme of action with clear responsibilities and timelines.
Among the immediate interventions already underway are emergency infrastructure projects, including the boreholes in Hammanskraal, which government intends to expand to more communities.
President Ramaphosa also highlighted ongoing legislative reforms, including the establishment of the National Water Resources Infrastructure Agency to coordinate investment in bulk water infrastructure.
He said public hearings on the Water Services Amendment Bill will begin soon to strengthen enforcement and enable municipal managers who fail to manage water infrastructure to be held personally liable.
Over the next three years, government has allocated R156 billion towards water and sanitation infrastructure as part of its broader public infrastructure investment programme.
The President said municipalities remain at the frontline of service delivery and will continue receiving support to improve financial sustainability and reinvest water revenue into infrastructure.
He added that where municipalities or officials fail to comply with environmental and water services legislation, government will use available enforcement mechanisms, including directives, criminal proceedings and, where permitted by law, personal liability.
“Water security is among government's most urgent priorities. Households and businesses experiencing shortages and outages have had enough, and underserved communities across the country still waiting for taps to be installed 32 years into democracy are justifiably tired of waiting,” President Ramaphosa said.
He reaffirmed government's commitment to resolving the water crisis through coordinated action and structural reform.
“Our ultimate goal is not merely to get over the current crisis, but to fulfil Madiba's vision of all South Africans enjoying their constitutionally enshrined right to access to water and of this right being secured for generations to come. Water is dignity and therefore central to Mandela's legacy,” he said. – SAnews.gov.za
