The Office of the Auditor-General of South Africa (AG) has informed the Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation that 42% of bulk infrastructure assets held by the Department of Water and Sanitation’s Water Trading Entity (WTE) are in poor condition yet the entity is spending a fraction of its costs on maintenance and repair. The committee received a presentation from the AG and the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation on the department’s 2022/23 annual reports, along with those of the state-owned entities reporting to the department.
‘We are concerned that 42% of the WTE bulk infrastructure assets are reported to be in poor condition, which leads to high water losses, loss of revenue and the inability to deliver water to the clients. The WTE must hasten to remedy this concern to ensure adequate repair and maintenance,’ said Mr Robert Mashego, the Chairperson of the portfolio committee.
Despite the high proportion of water infrastructure in poor condition, the committee was alarmed that
the entity only spent 2.13% of the total infrastructure assets balance on repair and maintenance work. This is particularly concerning in the context of the National Treasury’s prescribed 80% norms and standards for maintenance. The committee was also concerned that the department has no maintenance policy in place to guide the maintenance of infrastructure assets. The committee called for this anomaly to be remedied urgently to improve infrastructure lifespan, prevent water losses and improve revenue collection.
Connected to the challenge of inadequate maintenance, the committee is concerned with the high level of water losses, as these have a bearing on the department’s ability to deliver quality services to the people. According to the AG, these losses also include the loss of the money spent to treat water to make it drinkable, as well as the money that could have been derived from its sale. In the 2022/23 financial year, this amounted to R18.9 billion and R29.7 billion respectively.
The committee calle
d for the development of a national action plan to address water losses, as it believes that such a plan will go a long way in resolving concerns.
The committee also raised concern about non-performance on the Bucket Eradication Programme, despite the department’s promises that this programme would be prioritised. The committee called for new timelines to eradicate these bucket systems and for adherence to those timelines.
Meanwhile, the committee welcomed the improvement in the turnaround time for the adjudication of water use license applications. While the target of 90 days, as announced by the President in the 2020 and 2021 State of the Nation Address, has not yet been achieved, the committee welcomed the progress from the 300-day turnaround to the current 110 days. The committee urged the department to continue implementing interventions to achieve the 90-day target, including improving the capacity of the unit performing the water use authorisation function.
‘The committee remains of the view that th
e improvement in turn-around times for approving water use licences has economic consequences for applicants and can affect the food security in the country,’ Mr Mashego emphasised.
Source: Parliament of South Africa