The “regrettable” cholera outbreak is largely due to ineffective management of water infrastructure and lack of investment, water and sanitation minister Senzo Mchunu said on Thursday.
Speaking at the water sector sustainability symposium in Kempton Park, Mchunu said when he assumed office in 2021 it became apparent there were major challenges which needed to be attended to in order to safeguard the provision of water and sanitation services.
He said the most notable challenges, which were at municipal level, included:
- ageing and dysfunctional infrastructure;
- improper planning;
- misappropriation of funds;
- budgetary constraints; and
- lack of capacity.
Mchunu said municipalities, as water service authorities, were mandated to ensure that local residents and industries were supplied with water and sanitation services that met national minimum norms and standards.
He said the constitution, however, allowed for ministerial interventions where municipalities fell short.
“We have been intervening in a number of municipalities devising plans on how best the water and sanitation challenges can be addressed and we are seeing progress in certain provinces.
“The regrettable cholera outbreak is largely due to ineffective management of infrastructure and investment in same,” Mchunu said.
Mchunu also said government would also be strengthening the regulation around the use of ground water to ensure it remained as an alternative water source.
He said while groundwater was invisible, its impact was visible everywhere.
“To date, more than 50% of available ground water is being utilised in five water management areas (WMA) across the country, with the highest utilisation being in Limpopo,” Mchunu said.
Inefficient use of water for domestic and general industrial use is exacerbated by a culture of non-payment for water and by poor metering, billing and revenue collection by municipalities
— Dr Sean Phillips, director-general of water and sanitation
Mchunu said South Africa was rich in technical expertise required to explore the maximum use of groundwater.
The department’s director-general, Dr Sean Phillips, said broadening of the country's water resource mix was vital for water security as there were now limited opportunities for further surface water developments.
Apart from groundwater, Phillips said other sources in addition to surface water included desalination of sea water and re-using of other poor-quality water such as acid mine drainage.
Phillips said water conservation and water demand management (WCWDM) must be implemented to avoid a projected water deficit.
He said despite South Africa being a water–scarce country, the average domestic use in South Africa equalled 237l per person per day, compared to the world average of 173l per person per day.
Phillips said priority WCWDM focus areas must include irrigation for agriculture (which takes up 61% of total water consumption), and domestic and general use, primarily by reducing physical losses in municipal distribution systems.
Compared to other countries, the price of water in South Africa was low and water was used inefficiently, Phillips said.
“Inefficient use of water for domestic and general industrial use is exacerbated by a culture of non-payment for water and by poor metering, billing and revenue collection by municipalities.”
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