Winde also questioned the ability of the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) to address the challenges of water infrastructure‚ particularly the need for new investment in dams. He said he hoped to raise his concerns with new minister Gugile Nkwinti.
“There are a lot of questions about the department. We’ve now got a new minister and we sincerely hope he rattles the cage big time‚” Winde said‚ adding that he believed the National Treasury needed to step in to make budget available.
This week‚ parliament’s standing committee on public accounts confirmed it would pursue criminal charges against DWS officials implicated in illegal activities related to the department’s dismal finances.
Winde said the Western Cape was allocating its own resources to assist with infrastructure repair and drought relief.
In a statement released at the briefing‚ he said: “We recognise how difficult this period has been for farmers. We have no choice but to support this vital sector to ensure that it is able to continue production until good rains come.”