Minister pledges water support

“Consumers don’t know and aren’t interested in what the different spheres of government are responsible for; they just want water.”

Minister of water and sanitation (DWS) Senzo Mchunu said this during an address at the Water Institute of Southern Africa (WISA) Biennial Conference & Exhibition on Wednesday, September 28.

The event at the Sandton Convention Centre was attended by more than 1,200 delegates, with another 400 online. WISA has a member base of around 3,300 from varying disciplinary backgrounds within the water.

Mchunu said while SA was not facing an immediate water crisis, it was a water scarce country and water could not be used recklessly.

He said the focus of DWS had so far been exclusively on bulk water resources management, depending on the declining capacity in municipalities to deliver water to consumers.

“We will now shift our focus to across the entire water value chain,” Mchunu said. “So where there is no water, DWS will assist.

“We however can’t do this alone; we don’t have the finances, knowledge and skills. We therefore welcome the private sector to partner with us.”

Dr Lester Goldman, CEO of WISA, said, “The time for pointing fingers is over, and we can no longer wait for someone else to come up with a workable plan. We have to do work ourselves and do so collaboratively.”