DWS acknowledges the SAHRC report and assures that most of its recommendations are already in place to address water challenges in KZN municipalities
The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has noted the report released by the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) on water supply challenges in various municipal districts in KwaZulu-Natal Province.
The challenges are known to the Department, and the Ministry of Water and Sanitation is working tirelessly to assist the municipalities in the province which are Water Services Authorities (WSAs) to meet their constitutional obligation for water and sanitation services provision to citizens.
The Blue, Green and No-Drop reports which the department released in June 2023, which are regulatory and support mechanisms of the Department for municipal drinking water quality, wastewater management and water conservation and demand management, also provided evidence of the deteriorating state of water and sanitation situation in most of these municipalities.
The root causes of the decline in water and sanitation services is years of neglect of water and sanitation infrastructure in both rural and urban areas, as well as poor operation and maintenance of the infrastructure. Municipalities have failed to prioritise budgeting for proper maintenance and operation of the infrastructure and have failed to hire staff with the required skills and qualifications to operate the services. Water and sanitation services are supposed to be self-financing, but many of the municipalities have poor billing, revenue collection and debtor management systems, as well as very high levels of non-revenue water, partly caused by high physical losses through leaking infrastructure.
As part of the Blue, Green and No Drop assessment process, the Department directs WSAs that are found to be in critical state of performance to submit an action plan with time frames and budgets to address deficiencies in their infrastructure and operations. Beyond assessing and monitoring through these reports, Minister Senzo Mchunu has put in place several initiatives to improve water and sanitation services in the province. He has been working with the worst performing municipalities to put together immediate, medium and long-term interventions, supported by allocations from the Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant (RBIG) and Water Services Infrastructure Grant (WSIG) managed by the Department.
The Department is currently funding bulk water infrastructure projects through the RBIG to a value of R7.8 billion in the province, including the Mandlakazi Bulk Water Supply Project in Zululand District Municipality; Greater Mthonjaneni Bulk Water Supply Project and Middledrift Bulk Water Supply Project, both in the King Cetshwayo District Municipality.
Through its water entity, uMngeni-uThukela Water Board, the Department has also allocated nearly R2.3 billion for the following projects: Greater Mpofana Bulk Water Supply Project in uMgungundlovu District; the Maphumulo Bulk Water Supply Project in iLembe District; UMshwathi Bulk Water Supply Project servicing both uMgungundlovu and iLembe Districts; and Lower uMkhomazi Bulk Water Supply Project in eThekwini. Umngeni-Uthukela Water Board is also implementing a Bulk Regional Water Scheme for Alfred Duma Local Municipality in uThukela District Municipality, at an estimated cost of R5 billion.
Earlier this year, Minister Mchunu commissioned the completed Spring Grove Water Treatment Plant in Rosetta and Bruntville Reservoir in Mooi River, in the uMgungundlovu District, KwaZulu-Natal. This water and sanitation infrastructure forms part of the Greater Mpofana Bulk Water Supply Scheme managed by Umngeni-Uthukela Water. It is one of the largest rural-based projects to be implemented in recent years and is aimed at providing access to safe drinking water to Mpofana and uMngeni Local Municipalities.
In February 2022, the Minister invoked Section 63 of the Water Services Act in the uMkhanyakude District Municipality. This involved providing strong support and direction to the Municipality regarding the management, operation and maintenance of its water and sanitation infrastructure in order to restore services within the district. This was as a result of the water challenges that are being experienced by the WSA. The uMkhanyakude District’s multi-billion water projects include the Greater Ingwavuma Bulk Water Supply Scheme in Jozini Local Municipality which will supply Jozini, Big Five Hlabisa and Mtubatuba municipalities and the Mtikini Water Supply Scheme in Umhlabuyalingana Local Municipality which will supply safe drinking water to communities of Skhemelele, Mtikini and eScabazini.
Ugu District Municipality has also been experiencing difficulties with water and sanitation service delivery, due to old and strained infrastructure and growing demand, exacerbated by illegal connections and vandalism. To address this, the Department has allocated R150 million from the WSIG to the district in order to address immediate challenges.
The Department has also established a Water Partnerships Office within the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) to encourage and stimulate strategic partnerships with the private sector to invest in water infrastructure. Minister Mchunu has also called for collaborations with the private sector to address water challenges in the sector, as sustainable water supply plays a crucial role in stimulating development and investment in the country.
The Department is currently reconfiguring is Water Boards to enable them to give more support to the under-capacitated WSAs, and Umngeni-Uthukela Water was amongst the first to be reconfigured through merging Umgeni Water and the erstwhile uMhlathuze Water. The entity’s boundary has also been extended to cover the whole province and to reach areas that were previously unserviced.
The Department is in the process of establishing the uPongola-Mzimkulu Catchment Management Agency (CMA) which will be tasked with decentralised water resource management and the protection of all rivers in KwaZulu-Natal. The CMA will also deal with issues of unlawful water use and the processing of water use licences.
The Minister has also gazetted a Notice to transform the existing Irrigation Boards to Water User Association in terms of Section 98 of the National Water Act. In KwaZulu-Natal, ten Irrigation Boards have submitted proposals for transformation.
While all the support provided above is necessary, it is not sufficient to reverse the decline in water services. There is also a need for legislative reform, and the Department will shortly be gazetting an amended Water Services Act, which will strengthen and clarify the role of municipalities as Water Services Authorities to ensure that Water Service Providers provide water services in accordance with minimum norms and standards. The amendments will also enable the national department to intervene more decisively a last resort when municipalities fail to respond to directives to address deficiencies in the provision of water and sanitation services.
The department therefore welcomes the report and its recommendations, which align to the findings of the department. The Department further acknowledges the critical task of improving the management of waste water and restoration of water quality and reliability of supply and that this will require increasing investments, ensuring revenue sufficiency as well as professional and capable technical, and managerial skills.
For more information, contact:
Wisane Mavasa, Spokesperson for the Department of Water and Sanitation
Cell: 060 561 8935
E-mail: mavasaw@dws.gov.za
Kamogelo Mogotsi, Spokesperson for the Ministry
Cell: 076 523 0085
