DWS embarks on the national public consultations on the Draft Policy on Water and Sanitation Services provision on Privately Owned Land
The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has begun with the national public consultations on the Draft Policy on Water and Sanitation Services provision on Privately Owned Land on Monday, 12 December 2022, and the first leg is taking place in KwaZulu-Natal until 14 December 2022.
The department is engaging stakeholders in uMgungundlovu, uMkhanyakude, King Cetshwayo, Zululand, Amajuba, uMzinyathi and uThukela District Municipalities to solicit input from interested parties.
The purpose of the national consultations, which are planned to take place in all provinces, is to solicit input on the Draft Policy from various stakeholders and individuals who have interests in the provision of water and sanitation services to privately owned land across the country.
Privately-owned land is a land that is not owned, controlled, or leased by the state. This may include commercial farms, mine owned land, churches owned land, trust properties, game parks, sectional or residential complexes among others.
The draft policy seeks to explore ways to redress the provision of water services to residents on privately owned land by ensuring that there is access to a safe and potable water supply and sanitation, supported by appropriate health and hygiene practices for the people living on those lands that are currently out of municipal distributing network, using water services intermediaries’ mechanisms as enshrined in the Water Services Act, 1997 (Act No. 108 of 1997).
The draft framework is a culmination of a 2017 judgment on the case of Mshengu vs uMsunduzi, uMshwathi local municipalities, uMgungundlovu District Municipality and others, and the Department of Water and Sanitation as the sixth respondent, where the court judgment stated that failure by the Water Services Authorities (WSA) to provide farm occupiers and labour tenants with access to basic sanitation, sufficient water, and collection of refuse was inconsistent with the constitution.
This necessitated the Department to revive the draft policy to provide a framework on how to deal with the provision of water services to people living on privately owned land.
In presenting the draft policy to stakeholders in uMgungundlovu District, Luvuyo Jalisa, the Department’s Chief Development Expert under the Special Unit on Water and Sanitation Services Policy, Strategy and Evaluation, said the draft framework was a consolidation of the Constitution, Extension of Security Tenure (Act 62 of 1997), the Water Services Act, the National Water Act and the Municipality Systems Act.
Mr Jalisa called on community members and WSAs to work together with the department to ensure residents receive basic services.
The same sentiments were echoed across the floor by stakeholders who thanked the department for reviving the policy with hope that all relevant stakeholders would work together to have the framework realised as it would ensure everyone has access to water and sanitation services.
The public consultations will span for a period of 60 Days, and interested parties are also welcome to submit written comments to wspolicy@dws.gov.za(link sends e-mail) or jalisal@dws.gov.za(link sends e-mail) by the 17 February 2023.
Source: Government of South Africa