Government establishes water task team for struggling municipalities
The government has established a task team to assist municipalities struggling with erratic water supply.
This was confirmed by the minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, during the post cabinet media briefing on Friday morning.
The briefing comes as Gauteng and kwaZuluNatal continue to struggle with water supply and distribution.
Ntshavheni says cabinet has been briefed and the government is working on a solution.
"Cabinet established a water task team to be chaired by the deputy president Paul Mashatile, that will give dedicated focus on the resolution of the water challenges facing the country. This task team will be constituted by the Department of Water and Sanitation, Cogta, Agriculture, land reform and rural development, public works infrastructure and the police."
Earlier this month, deputy minister of water and sanitation, David Mahlobo, confirmed that government has deployed water boards to assist the various municipalities.
In Gauteng, the department will deploy Rand Water, while the Umngeni-Uthukela water board will be deployed to assist struggling municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal.
Various issues in several municipalities in the two provinces have led to communities experiencing water shortages in recent weeks.
Ntshavheni says rapid population growth was amongst some of the challenges in both provinces.
"Water losses in the municipal water distribution systems, delays in Lesotho Highlands and Umkhomazi Water Projects, and specifically for Gauteng the breakdown in the supply of electricity to Rand Water.
The Cabinet is pleased that the Lesotho Highlands and Umkhomazi Water projects have since been unblocked with Lesotho Highlands at 15% implementation.
The cities will need to continue to implement their own range of projects including addressing water losses, that when fully implemented together with Lesotho Highlands and Umkomazi water projects will enable the capacity to meet the demand," says Ntshavheni.
For Limpopo, Ntshavheni says interventions were made to improve water supply in Musina.
" The signing of the agreement between South Africa and Zimbabwe to transfer treated water from Beitbridge Water Treatment Works in Zimbabwe to Musina, Limpopo, will alleviate water supply challenges in Musina.
There will be further socio-economic benefits from the construction of a 20km pipeline and pump stations to transfer this 41 mega litres of water per day, to ensure that Musina has sufficient water supply for the medium term," she adds.
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