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Residents of KaMajika Village near Hazyview in Mpumalanga collect water from the Kambeni River.
Deputy President Paul Mashatile will officially close the National Water and Sanitation Indaba at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand, Gauteng, today.
President Cyril Ramaphosa who delivered the keynote address yesterday underscored government’s commitment to tackling South Africa’s water security challenges.
Mashatile who chairs the Water Task Team says government has come up with clear timelines to deal with the challenges.
Answering oral questions in the National Council of Provinces yesterday, Mashatile said: “We are going to be able to deal with these problems decisively. In fact, when the President spoke this morning at the Water Summit, he indicated to the delegates that we are going to put strict time frames on all this work. So, we are going to put strict time frames to ensure that they should be implemented by particular dates so that we can hold people accountable.”
Meanwhile, during his keynote address, Ramaphosa said water provision is a national priority.
The President said there’s no dignity in collecting water from trucks.
He added that it was a shame for municipalities to be returning money to National Treasury while communities battle with basics like water provision.
He further said water and sanitation access across the country should be a basic human right that government must prioritise.
Ramaphosa said billions will be spent to construct water resources.
-Additional reporting by Chriselda Lewis
