Government 'to buy all JoJo tanks in SA' to fight Covid-19: Lindiwe Sisulu

Things are set to change in the water tank business if the government goes ahead with its plan to buy up all available “JoJo” [water] tanks to help fight the coronavirus.

This was announced by water and sanitation minister Lindiwe Sisulu during a media briefing in Pretoria on Tuesday.

“Basically we are aiming to buy out all tanks there are in the country, so we would like to send out a message to anybody who is producing or selling them: please stop selling to private individuals. We would like to take all of them because we need them more than any other individual,” said Sisulu.

She said the government had learnt from the drought that hit a number of provinces late last year.

The announcement is part of the government’s plans to bring water to drought-stricken parts of the country and parts that don’t have clean water.

Part of the government’s main message in the fight against coronavirus is for South Africans to wash their hands regularly for at least 20 seconds using soap. But with people lacking water in many parts of the country, including most informal settlements, the government’s call may prove a challenge.

Sisulu said her department intends to supply water to all communities that are in need. The tanks will be distributed to more than 2,000 communities at 2,901 water collection points, she said.

“What we intend to do with water is to make sure that we supply every community that needs water with the necessary tankers and the necessary tanks,” she said.

There will be collection points for water to avoid overcrowding. The department will also be offering hand sanitisers. There will be handwashing points in every town and the priority will be high-density points such as taxi and bus ranks.

“Here we intend to put a tank and wash basin that everyone can use,” said Sisulu.

She said government had already commissioned a number of tanks, especially for the areas that were hit by drought. These include parts of Limpopo, the Free State and the Eastern Cape.