Minister Majodina calls on South Africans to use water sparingly

Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina has called on South Africans to change their behaviour regarding water usage. She was speaking in the National Assembly, making a statement on water security in the country.

Several municipalities across the country are struggling to provide clean water.

Majodina says while an average of 40% of clean water is lost through leaks in infrastructure, its consumption by the country’s citizens is among the highest in the world.

“SA needs to change behaviour and treat water like its scarce resource. We must fix leaks.” She adds that South Africa consumes roughly 237 litres of water per person per day while the global average is 173 litres.

Majodina says that they will embark on massive awareness campaigns in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. She says South Africa’s water resource mix must be broadened. “Our responsibility is to build water resources, municipalities must reticulate it from our resource.”

“One of the key ways to reduce water demand is for municipalities to fix the leaks in their water distribution systems. These losses are 33% on average across Gauteng municipalities, and approximately 45% in eThekwini. This compares to the international norm of 15%. In addition, the awareness of residents and businesses in Gauteng and businesses in Gauteng and KZN regarding the need to use water sparingly must be raised.”

Water scarcity crisis

Meanwhile, political parties have called for urgent intervention to prevent a full-scale water scarcity crisis in the country.

The increase in sustainable use of groundwater, making more use of desalinisation of seawater, and re-using water from waste-water treatment systems are examples she gave. She also calls out municipalities and businesses.

But opposition parties say the government has to take responsibility for what they believe is a crisis.

DA’s Stephen Moore says, “Public health surgeries cancelled. hospitals struggle to maintain hygiene. human beings drinking from animal water holes. communities without water and sanitation since the dawn of democracy. billions of taxpayers’ funds squandered through corruption in essential projects. The South African Human Rights Commission compels local governments to fulfil their constitutional responsibilities. Municipalities owe billions and counting to our water boards.”

EFF’s Rebecca Mohlala says, “This is a crime against humanity. You boast of 90% access to water. yet people still wake up to dry taps and broken promises. You speak of 218 litres per capita, what a fantasy. Our mothers and children are rationing every drop, while the elite fill their pools. You trumpet 100 billion for dams, while our townships leak like sieves. where is the investment in our community.”

FF+ Wouter Wessels says, “While we all know that water is being lost due to pipe leakages, and more than 40% of water is lost in that fashion, we cannot say that it is due to people wasting water, and using water more, that is creating this problem. it cannot be reduced to that. We must first look at the water we are losing. the fact that infrastructure is a problem.”

Action SA’s Malebo Kobe says, “The failure to align infrastructure with population growth is evident, and I saw this first hand during constituency week at the water purification plant. It’s just five months, but it is unable to service the 80 thousand residents, who are in constant water supply shortages.”

ACDP’s Wayne Thring says, “Clearly the greater problem to our water security, is not that South Africa is a water scarce country, but rather that in the vast majority of our municipalities almost 50% of water purchased is lost through leakage, broken pipes and theft, but added to this dilemma, 59% of our municipalities were insolvent as at September 2022 and the vast majority do not invest in the basic amount required for infrastructure, repairs and maintenance, including water infrastructure.”

UDM’s Nqabayomzi Kwankwa says, “It is unbelievable that almost half, or 46% of our water supply systems are now failing to meet safety standards – a shocking increase from just 2014. This decline puts thousands of South Africans at risk exposing them to serious health hazards. Our waste water systems too are in a critical state of disrepair. with over 40% now in a dysfunctional state.”

Rise Mzanzi’s Magashule Gana says, “We are staring at what was a preventable water crisis in the face which has many of the hallmarks of the energy crisis. The light at the end of the tunnel is the light of an oncoming train coming at full speed down a damaged line with the driver absent from the controls. We must do something and we must act with urgency to prevent further damage.”

BOSA’s Nobuntu Webster argues, “The minister herself has acknowledged that R90 billion is required to clear the existing infrastructure backlog and that is before we start to speak of future projects where are required to keep up with the demand. Yet, instead of stability, what we have seen is blame games.”

Al Jama-ah’s Adv. Shameelah Salie adds, “The fact is that the country is losing water and the situation will not change. the water infrastructure reservoir upgrades are not built to keep up with the current needs of the country. And there has been a constant lack of foreseeability and accountability by government.”

NCC  Fadiel Adams says, “The state of our people, very soon our people, the poor, will be hungry and thirsty. This government has done nothing for our people.”

The ANC naturally supported Minister Majodina. ANC’s Sello Dithebe says, “We join you comrade minister, in your great and bold efforts to raise awareness about water demand and sustenance among end users. to this end, I have to submit that we have it in our power to ensure that our water management plans are foolproof, and bound to launch us into a sustainable future, in which the dignity and wellbeing of all South Africans are secure and guaranteed.”