By Lungile Ntimba
DA leader John Steenhuisen has accused national government of poor planning and mismanagement, which he says has led to the current water crisis affecting municipalities across the country.
Steenhuisen was briefing the media in Johannesburg about the growing water crisis in South Africa.
“Across the country, local government councillors come under tremendous pressure to resolve water-related issues. In most cases, the solutions are out of their control, as the root cause lies with senior leadership that has failed to plan and implement proper water management strategies in towns and cities,” said Steenhuisen.
“Provincial and local government need to step up to the plate and in this province of Gauteng we’ve seen a hands-off approach by Premier Panyaza Lesufi, and the provincial government and we’ve seen a don’t care attitude by the Action South Africa, EFF and ANC-led council here in Gauteng.”
He also criticized the lack of progress from a water task team led by Deputy President Paul Mashatile earlier this year, saying there have been no visible interventions to address the crisis.
“Free State and the North West’s water boards face bankruptcy in the next 6 months due to the failure of local municipalities to pay for bulk supply,” said Steenhuisen.
“South African municipalities face significant challenges with bulk water debt, which totals over R22.4 billion nationally.”
Steenhuisen said residents are grappling with worsening water outages while millions of rands are lost through water leaks and illegal connections.
He said, for instance, two months ago, the South Hills water tower outages disrupted supply to residents of wards 56 and 57, including schools, old age homes, and an orphanage, for two weeks.
“Nationally, from Matjhabeng, to Lekwa, to eThekwini, to Makhanda to Umzimvubu to Mangaung, daily outages are the norm, and in many areas of our country some have not had water for months, despite having the necessary infrastructure,” said Steenhuisen.
Reports indicate that 70% of homes in Mpumalanga have experienced water outages lasting over two days, compared to a national average of 36%. In contrast, only 3% of households in the Western Cape face similar challenges.
“Since then, the situation in places like Gauteng has worsened dramatically. The decline is stark in what used to be the second most reliable province for water supply after the Western Cape,” Steenhuisen said.
During a recent oversight visit to the Alfred Nzo Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape, the DA uncovered dire conditions, including contaminated water sources shared with animals and an abandoned water treatment plant.
In April, the DA wrote to the South African Human Rights Commission about the crisis, and escalating the matter to its National Legal Services Unit.
Steenhuisen stressed the urgency of follow-up action due to the lack of response.
Looking ahead, the DA has proposed involving private companies in water infrastructure projects to create water-sensitive cities that optimize stormwater and urban waterways.
The party also aims to promote water-wise citizens through scientific methods to address chemical pollution risks.
In addition, the DA is also considering a dedicated grant for water infrastructure maintenance and fast-tracking water treatment works projects.
“We want to protect our nation’s most precious natural resource. Our country’s future is at stake, and securing that future depends on you,” said Steenhuisen.
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