South Africa will not run out of water: Molewa

21 May 2013 - 15:20 By Sapa
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Edna Molewa. File picture.
Edna Molewa. File picture.
Image: ELIZABETH SEJAKE

South Africa will not run out of water in the next 100 years, Water Affairs Minister Edna Molewa assured MPs.

Opening debate on her 2013/14 budget in the National Assembly, Molewa dismissed what she referred to as "the current myth" about the country running dry.

"You must have heard, from one source or another, how South Africa will 'run out of water' in 2013, 2015, 2025, or 2030, depending on which news source you rely on.

"Let me assure you, as the custodian of water resources in this country, that as we enter the third decade of equity and redistribution, South Africa will not run out of water in the next 100 years."

She said this did not mean there would be no problems "regarding water resources' availability".

However, her department was confident that as a result of its planning, future programmes, and the development and management of infrastructure, it was "geared towards sustainability and a secured future in terms of security of [water] supply".

Earlier, briefing reporters at Parliament, Molewa said: "We might have water shortages if we don't do certain things, but running out of water completely is a no-no."

Dams near completion

The De Hoop Dam in Limpopo is close to completion and water is now flowing into the impoundment, Molewa said.

"The dam is currently 17 percent full, with approximately 58.6 million cubic metres of water stored," she told reporters at Parliament, ahead of debate in the National Assembly on her department's 2013/14 budget.

The De Hoop Dam, part of the Olifants River Water Resources Development Project, will supply water mainly to the mining industry in the Steelpoort area.

Molewa said work on the first pipeline connecting the water treatment works at Steelpoort to the dam had started, "and is expected to be complete by September next year".

By July this year, certain areas around the town of Jane Furse would start to receive water from the dam.

"The pipeline to Sekuruwe in the Waterberg, and Pruissen in the Capricorn area, is also planned to start this year."

The project, which had cost government more than R4.5 billion, would benefit more than two million people in the Sekhukhune, Capricorn, and Waterberg areas, she said.

Significant progress had also been made on the Spring Grove Dam in KwaZulu-Natal.

"The first water storage... commenced in March this year," Molewa said.

Responding to a question, she said work on raising the wall of the Clanwilliam Dam in the Western Cape, which was delayed for a year, would start in August.

"We are on course; construction will start some time around August this year," she said, adding that work on changing the course of the N7 national road was currently underway.

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