By Charles Molele
The ongoing outstanding municipal debts to water boards across the country is threatening the financial viability of the entities and the entire water sector.
This was outlined by Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, during a post-Cabinet media briefing on Wednesday.
Ntshavheni said that the municipal debt to water boards is rising at an unsustainable rate, reaching a total of R23 billion as of 31 August 2024.
She said Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina recently met with several of the affected municipalities and received commitments to pay from most non-paying municipalities.
“Cabinet had previously approved the establishment of an Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) to address municipal turnaround, Ntshavheni said.
“The IMC will also prioritise measures to address municipal debt payments to water boards, particularly those facing imminent bankruptcy.”
Ntshavheni also said Cabinet was appraised of the level 1 water restrictions that are in place in Gauteng due to continued water demand as a result of high consumption caused by population growth, illegal connections, leaks and misuse of water.
The average consumption in Gauteng currently stands at 279 litres per capita per day compared to the international average of 173 litres per capita per day.
While the metropolitan municipalities in Gauteng have level 1 water restrictions in place, very little enforcement is undertaken by the municipalities.
“The Minister of Water and Sanitation and the Premier of Gauteng have requested the municipalities to impose level 2 water restrictions which will come with fines if consumers do not adhere to the restrictions,” Ntshavheni said.
She said Cabinet supported the decision by President Cyril Ramaphosa to augment the work that is currently spearheaded by the Deputy President Paul Mashatile by elevating the water matters as a crisis and establish a National Water Crises Committee.
The committee will develop an water action plan and bring in water experts in order to intervene to the nation-wide water challenges in the Local Government space, she said.
INSIDE METROS