Ramaphosa slams water tanker suppliers’ ‘sabotage’
President Cyril Ramaphosa has hit out at what he labelled as the deliberate sabotage of water infrastructure by companies contracted to supply water to communities through tankers.
Ramaphosa addressed the Water and Sanitation Indaba in Midrand on Thursday.
In his address, the president accused the companies of intentionally damaging municipal water systems to ensure continued reliance on their services.
"Last year’s Water Summit identified ageing and poorly-maintained infrastructure, vandalism of water infrastructure, illegal connections, and organised crime in the water sector as some of the challenges facing service delivery in this sector.
“At a local government level, financial mismanagement, insufficient revenue collection systems and high levels of physical water losses are compounding existing service delivery problems.
“These challenges have been consistently reflected in reports from the Municipal Strategic Self-Assessment, Stats SA, the Auditor-General and others.
“With this dire state of affairs, we have seen declining private sector investment in water infrastructure, a situation that is only now improving," said Ramaphosa.
The indaba comes amid mounting concerns over ageing infrastructure, corruption, illegal water connections, and severe water losses, which continue to threaten water security across the country.
This year’s event builds on the 2024 National Water Summit, which engaged water service authorities following damning reports exposing systemic failures in the sector.
The summit identified various issues, including poor maintenance and ageing infrastructure, vandalism, corruption and illegal water connections.
Meanwhile, Build One South Africa held a picket outside the Gallagher Convention Centre.
The party's spokesperson, Roger Solomons, said the party wants the government to take urgent action to solve the water crisis.
"South Africans do not need another talk shop. They do not need another indaba filled with empty promises and self-congratulatory speeches. What they need is water - reliable, safe, and accessible water, as guaranteed by our Constitution.
“The crisis we face is not due to drought or a lack of resources. It is a direct result of mismanagement, corruption, and years of government failure. Across the country, from Johannesburg to Limpopo, from the Eastern Cape to Gauteng, communities are suffering.
“In hospitals, doctors and nurses battle to save lives without running water. In schools, our children are sent home because there is no water for sanitation. In homes, taps run dry while leaks go unfixed, and those in charge turn a blind eye," Solomons added.
The picket follows BOSA’s legal action to address water-shedding in hospitals and schools and what it believes to be broader governance failures that have led to the collapse of water infrastructure across the country.
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