Pretoria: The Water Task Team is actively overseeing the implementation of measures that will allow municipalities to promptly act on Rand Water’s recommendations to prevent water depletion in Gauteng. This was announced by Deputy President Paul Mashatile while briefing Members of Parliament (MPs) in the National Assembly on Thursday.
According to South African Government News Agency, Deputy President Mashatile explained that he has had discussions with the Minister of Water and Sanitation regarding the water challenges in the country, specifically focusing on Gauteng. President Cyril Ramaphosa established the Water Task Team, led by the Deputy President, to address water challenges across various regions in the country. The Deputy President was responding to a question from a Democratic Alliance MP about actions taken by the Water Task Team to ensure municipalities implement Rand Water’s recommendations promptly.
Rand Water is a major bulk water utility in Africa, providing potable water to over 11 million
people in Gauteng, as well as parts of Mpumalanga, the Free State, and North West provinces. Deputy President Mashatile emphasized that the Minister of Water and Sanitation has convened urgent meetings with the Gauteng provincial government to implement critical measures and prevent a water supply crisis in the province.
He highlighted the importance of municipalities implementing recommendations to prevent water depletion, identifying high leakage rates in municipal water distribution systems and elevated average consumption levels by residents as primary causes of water supply disruptions in Gauteng.
Key measures to address these challenges include tackling high leakage rates and illegal connections, enforcing water restrictions, and improving communication and awareness. The Department of Water and Sanitation, Rand Water, and the Gauteng Metropolitan Municipalities have established a technical team to monitor water storage and municipal consumption. The department is also engaging with municipalities to
address leaks and illegal connections.
In addition, the department is working with Gauteng to encourage municipalities to establish and enforce Level 2 and Level 3 water use restrictions as an advancement from the current Level 1 restrictions. These restrictions include prohibiting the irrigation of gardens with sprinklers and hosepipes between 6am and 6pm, filling swimming pools, and washing paving areas and driveways with hosepipes.
The department has facilitated the establishment of a platform for a water-secure Gauteng in collaboration with Rand Water, municipalities, business leaders, and civil society within the province. This platform aims to improve communication regarding water supply challenges and raise awareness about the need to use water sparingly. The platform is also raising funds for a major public communications and awareness campaign about water conservation in the province.
Moreover, a shared information repository and dashboard have been created on the department’s website to provide s
trategic and timely information regarding water supply issues in the province. Recognizing that water challenges extend beyond Gauteng, the government, together with partners, is implementing several interventions to address water challenges nationwide.
The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, in consultation with the National Treasury, has begun converting the Municipal Infrastructure Grant from a Schedule 5b (direct grant) to a Schedule 6b (indirect grant). This change aims to address challenges faced by Water Services Authorities (WSA) receiving the grant, particularly concerning the repairs and maintenance of wastewater treatment works and related infrastructure. The conversion has commenced in uThukela District Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal and Emfuleni Municipality in Gauteng.
Deputy President Mashatile urged all citizens to adhere to water use guidelines and use this scarce resource sparingly to conserve water for future generations, emphasizing that “Water is life!”