Johannesburg: As South Africans travel to various holiday destinations during the festive season, Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina has reiterated her call for the public to use water sparingly. ‘Ensure that you close all your taps when you leave home. Don’t pump your swimming pools and avoid irrigating when it is not necessary, especially during the day. [Rather] irrigate in the evening or early morning,’ Majodina said.

According to South African Government News Agency, Majodina highlighted the responsibility of municipalities to assess and manage water usage within their jurisdictions. She also urged the public to harvest rainwater, noting the government’s focus on expanding access to groundwater, particularly in rural areas lacking reliable water supply. ‘Identify springs that communities grew up using. We want to protect those springs, install pipes, build reservoirs next to them and provide water to communities,’ Majodina said.

She cited an example in Mhlontlo in Qumbu, Eastern Cape, where the protection of three springs resulted in water supply to 22 communities. Majodina emphasized the importance of water as a social and economic need, echoing the President’s prioritization of water. She warned that water-saving efforts would be undermined by ongoing challenges such as leaks, illegal connections, non-payment for services, and unregulated car wash outlets.

Majodina’s comments came on the last day of her oversight visit to Lesotho, where she monitored progress on Phase II of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP). During the visit, she inspected key infrastructure like the Polihali Dam construction site and expressed satisfaction with the progress, including the upcoming handover of houses to affected communities by May next year.

She highlighted the progress on feeder roads and the need for treaty amendments to allow the project’s transfer to the Lesotho Government for maintenance. Majodina also stressed the importance of marketing the revamped lodge at Katse to ensure its productive use, highlighting the infrastructure projects’ creation of approximately 16,000 jobs.

The Minister underscored the government’s goal to prepare South Africa for Phase II of the project, which will significantly increase the water supply to the country. She stressed the need for building reservoirs, fixing leaks, and ensuring that water from Phase II benefits additional provinces, including parts of the North West, Free State, and Mpumalanga. ‘Rand Water is ready for more water to come. They have built enough infrastructure,’ Majodina said.