President Cyril Ramaphosa says deep structural problems at municipal level are at the heart of South Africa’s water crisis, with government drawing on lessons from its successful response to the electricity crisis to restore reliable water supply and eradicate sewage pollution.
Responding to parliamentary questions on Tuesday, President Ramaphosa said the National Water Action Plan had been developed as a coordinated response to the country’s water challenges, following the approach used in the Energy Action Plan that brought an end to more than a decade of persistent load shedding.
“We have taken the same approach of focused, coordinated actions into developing the National Water Action Plan,” President Ramaphosa said.
The President said the plan, which is overseen and coordinated by the National Water Crisis Committee, was developed following extensive consultation with municipalities, water boards and relevant government departments.
He said the plan was informed by an analysis of the root causes of the water crisis at municipal level and sets out both immediate interventions and longer-term reforms.
“It identifies actions that will significantly improve water service delivery in the short-term as well as actions – such as legislative and other reforms – that will take longer,” he said.
Both the Energy Action Plan and the National Water Action Plan form part of Operation Vulindlela, the reform programme coordinated and driven by the Presidency.
“The challenges in the water sector are caused by deep structural problems at the municipal level,” the President said.
Among the problems he identified is the failure in many municipalities to ring-fence revenue generated from the sale of water and reinvesting it into water provision.
He also pointed to the lack of a proper separation between the functions of water services authorities and water services providers in most municipalities.
The President said government was nevertheless pursuing interventions that would improve water access in the short term while laying the foundation for longer-term sustainability.
These include projects aimed at expanding access to water in unserved communities and completing water services projects that have been delayed for extended periods.
“We are increasing support to struggling municipalities and strengthening interventions in poorly performing municipalities in terms of existing legislation,” the President said.
Addressing corruption
Government is also targeting corruption and criminality that undermine water infrastructure and service delivery.
“We are also combating corruption and criminality in the water sector, including theft of metal parts for sale as scrap metal and the water tanker mafia,” he said.
Implementation
The President expressed confidence that the implementation of the National Water Action Plan would ultimately resolve the country's water crisis.
“Through the progress we are making, we are confident that the implementation of the National Water Action Plan will result in the resolution of the water crisis, both in terms of restoring reliable water to deprived communities and eradicating sewage pollution,” the President said.
He said the plan is designed not only to respond to immediate failures but also to create a more sustainable water system.
“Importantly, it will address many of the immediate water challenges that communities face, while establishing a foundation for sustainable and secure water supply into the future,” he said.
Strengthening municipalities
The President's response came alongside a broader parliamentary question on the structural reforms being implemented to restore the capacity of municipalities and improve accountability.
He said effective local government is critical to improving people's lives.
“Effective local government is essential to improving the lives of our people, supporting local economic development and creating the conditions for investment and job creation,” he said.
The Constitution requires the three spheres of government to be distinctive, interdependent and interrelated, while placing a responsibility on national and provincial government to support and strengthen municipal capacity.
“The strengthening of municipalities is an important priority of this administration,” he said.
Government is focused on building a more capable, professional and developmental local government system by strengthening leadership and administration in municipalities.
Government has also sought to improve coordination across the three spheres through mechanisms including the District Development Model, while providing targeted support to municipalities experiencing the most severe governance and service delivery challenges.
On accountability, President Ramaphosa said government had intensified oversight and monitoring and strengthened consequence management.
He said national government had also supported interventions in municipalities that were unable to fulfil their constitutional obligations and had strengthened collaboration between institutions responsible for governance, financial oversight and combating corruption.
Looking ahead, President Ramaphosa said government was close to completing a review of the White Paper on Local Government.
“Looking to the future, we are close to completing a review of the White Paper on Local Government, which envisages far-reaching reforms to this critical sphere of government,” the President said.
He said the reforms were intended to build stable, capable and accountable municipalities able to deliver reliable basic services.
“These reforms are directed towards building stable, capable and accountable municipalities that can deliver reliable basic services.
“They are directed towards restoring public confidence in local government and creating an enabling environment for inclusive economic growth and sustainable job creation,” the President said. – SAnews.gov.za
