Cape Town – President Cyril Ramaphosa has been accused of downplaying the state of South Africa’s water supply and infrastructure by saying that “water quality in South Africa is of a high standard” in his weekly newsletter.
Following the recent outbreak of cholera in Hammanskraal in Gauteng and in the Free State which has claimed 24 lives, Ramaphosa in his newsletter said the incidents have shown the vital importance of safe and effective water and waste water management.
“Unreliable and poor-quality drinking water has been a problem in Hammanskraal for many years.
“The Rooiwal waste water treatment works, which is upstream of Hammanskraal, has not been well-maintained and has insufficient capacity to deal with the volume of waste water entering the works.
“Over the years the Department of Water and Sanitation has issued many directives to the City of Tshwane to address pollution from the Rooiwal Wastewater Treatment works.
“These directives were not acted upon. The department initiated legal action to force the City to use its grant from national government to refurbish and upgrade the waste water treatment works.
“While there must be full accountability for the failings that have resulted in the outbreak in Hammanskraal, at this time we must focus on the problem at hand,” Ramaphosa said.
He added that, “generally, water quality in South Africa is of a high standard”, which according to the Water Research Commission, “compares well with the best in the world”.
“It is important to note that the dual water systems supplied by Magalies and Rand Water to the Tshwane area meet national standards,” Ramaphosa said.
However with the most recent Green Drop Report showing there has been a steady decline in the quality of water and sanitation services in municipalities, Ramaphosa said poor governance, ineffective management, increasing debt and underspending on public infrastructure like wastewater treatment plans have all contributed to poor water quality.
Ramaphosa said government is proceeding with a number of significant projects to improve our national bulk water resource infrastructure and that he has asked the minister of water and sanitation to make recommendations to strengthen the governance, management and regulatory framework for municipal water and sanitation services.
DA leader John Steenhuisen said aside from a “dangerous denial of South Africa’s water crisis” and the ANC’s alleged role in it, this was also a “gross misrepresentation” of the facts.
“The Green and Blue Drop reports, from which the presidential newsletter cites various figures, also provides a damning indictment on the state of drinking water in South Africa…
President Ramaphosa fails to mention that these reports point out that in terms of the drinkability of water in systems across the country, 23% are in the critical risk category, with a further 11% and 18% in the high and medium risk category respectfully,” Steenhuizen said.
This would mean that close to half of drinking water systems in the country are at serious risk of collapse and pose a potentially mortal threat to the nation through the spread of disease and illness, he added.
“The outbreak of water-borne disease we are currently experiencing is merely a symptom of a greater problem, and that is endemic corruption under the ANC. President Ramaphosa cannot deny this, and he cannot shirk the blame any further if we are to address South Africa’s water crisis,” Steenhuisen said.
Cape Times