The Minister of Water and Sanitation, Mr Senzo Mchunu has informed uThukela District Municipality that his department is forging ahead with Section 63 of the Water Services Act, in efforts to stabilise the state of water and sanitation in the district.
Minister Mchunu made this resolve during a meeting with MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs in KwaZulu-Natal, Ms Bongi Sithole-Moloi, uThukela District Municipality Executive Mayor, Inkosi Tshabalala held at Naunton Guest House in Ladysmith on Monday, 29 April 2024. The meeting was also attended by KwaZulu-Natal Chairperson of Traditional Leaders, Inkosi Shinga, uMngeni-uThukela Water team led by the board Chairperson, Advocate Vusi Khuzwayo.
Minister Mchunu said the state of water and sanitation services in any Water Services Authority (WSAs) across the country is of interest to them because how WSAs perform impact on the integrity of the national government and ultimately that of the president of the country.
“As a bulk water supplier and a regulator of the sector, we can never look away when there are challenges and say, we have done our part and point fingers at local government and say they are responsible for providing water to communities. The water value chain includes us, and we are constitutionally bound to detect problems and where we see them, we act decisively. When another sphere of government is facing challenges, there is a need for another sphere to intervene so that stability is brought,” Minister Mchunu said.
He said, the Water Services Act of 1997 empowers him as the Minister to intervene and invoke Section 63 of the act by taking over water and sanitation services if a WSA has demonstrated a consistent decline even after numerous intervention actions taken to support them.
Making a presentation on the state of water and sanitation in the area, Deputy Director-General for Water and Sanitation Services at the Department of Water and Sanitation, Dr Risimati Mathye painted a steady decline of water and sanitation in the district and said it calls for an action by the Minister. He assured the municipality that this is done in the best interest of government and communities affected by the decline services, adding that, Minister will not be taking over the running of the municipality.
Dr Mathye highlighted several challenges on the water and sanitation infrastructure that requires refurbishment to ensure reliability and meet demand; high percentage of non-revenue water due to pipe bursts, leaks that are not attended to on time leading to high water losses; as well as lack of maintenance of waste water infrastructure which leads to the discharge of raw sewage into sensitive natural environments.
Thus, Dr Mathye has recommended that the Section 63 intervention be implemented in the municipality for 3-5 years to undertake management, operations and maintenance of water and sanitation infrastructure at uThukela DM and for uMngeni-uThukela Water to be an implementing agent of the intervention in terms of Section 41 of the Water Services Act.
Later, on the same day, Minister Mchunu held a community meeting with Ezakheni residents where he informed them of the intervention to be undertaken by the department. The Minister implored community members to be patient as he will lead a team that will ensure seamless implementation on the political side, while a technical team led by DR Mathye and his counterparts from uMngeni-uThukela Water will ensure a speedy implementation of the intervention.
The uThukela District Municipality welcomed the intervention and said they need all the assistance of any kind they can get to ensure enhanced capacity.
MEC Sithole-Moloi applied to Minister Mchunu for a swift response and resolve to stabilize water and sanitation services in uThukela District.
All the parties to work on a tripartite agreement between Department of Water and Sanitation, uMngeni-uThukela and uThukela District Municipality, set up a Technical and Political Steering Committee that will oversee the implementation of the intervention.
For more information, contact Wisane Mavasa, Spokesperson for the Department of Water and Sanitation on 060 561 8935, Kamogelo Mogotsi, Spokesperson for the Ministry on 076 523 0085.
