By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
President Cyril Ramaphosa condemned the deliberate sabotage of water infrastructure by companies contracted to supply water to communities through tankers.
Ramaphosa was addressing the National Water and Sanitation Indaba at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand, Gauteng.
The gathering will highlight government’s commitment to tackling SA’s water security challenges.
The Indaba will further build on the outcomes of the Water Summit of which took place in January last year where all Water Services Authorities were engaged.
The Indaba comes at a time where various parts of the country face water challenges as a result of ageing infrastructure, syndicates and the vandalism of essential public infrastructure and corruption.
Ramaphosa stressed that the roaming water tankers were meant to be an intervention in the absence of water and not be treated as a business.
He condemned water mafias believed to be company owners to stop the water sabotage for them to gain control of the supply.
“They send the henchmen to go and cut the water lines and make sure that there is failure by the local authorities to deliver water, leading to the alternative of relying on them to transport because they make money out of transporting water,” he said.
“There’s no dignity for people to be standing alongside the streets just tapping water from a truck where somebody is making money from this. This must come to an end.”
His remarks come after communities in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and other provinces complained and took to the streets to protest against the water shortages.
Ramaphosa also commended the Water and Sanitation Department for its ongoing efforts to improve water and sanitation access in our country.
This includes progress towards meeting the minimum standards for the provision of water and sanitation services, and in addressing connection backlogs.
Meanwhile, Build One South Africa held a picket outside the Gallagher Convention Centre.
The party’s spokesperson, Roger Solomons, said the party wants the government to take urgent action to solve the water crisis.
“South Africans do not need another talk shop. They do not need another indaba filled with empty promises and self-congratulatory speeches. What they need is water – reliable, safe, and accessible water, as guaranteed by our Constitution.
“The crisis we face is not due to drought or a lack of resources. It is a direct result of mismanagement, corruption, and years of government failure. Across the country, from Johannesburg to Limpopo, from the Eastern Cape to Gauteng, communities are suffering.”