No to water cuts threat
The portfolio committee on water in parliament says threats by the department of water and sanitation (DWS) to cut off water supplies to defaulting municipalities are not a viable solution. Some municipalities and water boards owe the DWS substantial amounts of money, in some instances, arrears have accumulated to more than R1 billion.
This week Water and Sanitation Minister Nomvula Mokonyane announced that her department intended to cut off supplies to 30 defaulting municipalities that owe R10.7 billion. She said defaulting municipalities would experience water cuts if they failed to settle their debts by December 8. All other methods of enforcing payment have so far failed, Mokonyane said.
However, the portfolio committee said yesterday that alternative solutions must be found and reassured the public that water cuts will not be implemented.
“To this end, the committee has instructed the executive authority of the DWS, the National Treasury and the department of cooperative governance and traditional affairs to devise within 14 days a viable plan to solve the long-standing challenge,” said the statement issued by the parliamentary communication services on behalf of the chairperson of the portfolio committee on water and sanitation, Mlungisi Johnson.
He said the committee considers it unacceptable that 30 municipalities owe about R10.7 billion. “The fact that this debt has increased over time without interventions is also alarming,” said Johnson.
He said the culture of non-payment by municipalities has a long-term impact on the DWS’s ability to effectively implement its mandate.
“This is concerning in the context of the increase of the equitable share to local government from 3% in 2000/01 financial year to the current 9%. Coupled with this, the ongoing under-spending at municipal level raises questions about the validity of the position that local government is underfunded,” Johnson said. – ANA