Minister of Water and Sanitation Pemmy Majodina at SONA 2025. AFP/Rodger Bosch
JOHANNESBURG - The Water and Sanitation Department says fixing leaks, cutting illegal connections, billing and stronger oversight are now non-negotiable.
It comes amid a growing water crisis in Gauteng largely blamed on ageing infrastructure and weak capacity.
"The challenges is that they inherited a system that had decaying infrastructure, they inherited a system that had officials who had no technical capacity,"
"We are no longer going to allow them to implement on their own, we are coming in with our water boards, as a implementing agents and assist municipalities in ensuring that we complete incomplete projects but also they must try to expand their reservoirs, we pump bulk, but the resevoirs are not enough given the demand and supply," Water and Sanitation Minister, Pemmy Majodina explained.
On the other hand, ANC Secretary General, Fikile Mbalula, says there's progress in enhancing electrification and water delivery to communities.
He was speaking at the party's councillor roll call after this past weekend's NEC meeting.