Ramaphosa praises resolution to deal with water crisis

By Thapelo Molefe

President Cyril Ramaphosa has hailed last week’s National Water and Sanitation Indaba as a decisive step by the government to address South Africa’s water and sanitation challenges.

At the start of the two-day meeting on Thursday, the president admitted that the country’s water infrastructure was failing millions of people, and he insisted that the time for diagnosing problems was over.

Ramaphosa said in his weekly newsletter on Monday that the landmark Water and Sanitation Indaba last week had developed a clear plan for resolving challenges in the sector.

“The recommendations emanating from the indaba give cause for great optimism. A number of the suggestions and solutions are focused, evidence-based and accompanied by clear delivery timelines,” he said.

One of the major takeaways was the establishment of the National Water Resource Infrastructure Agency. 

“The agency will be responsible for developing and managing national water infrastructure and will mobilise financing for water infrastructure,”