By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Water Affairs and Sanitation (DWS) Minister Senzo Mchunu as acting minister of agriculture, land reform and rural development.
The appointment follows the recent elevation of Thoko Didiza to Speaker of the National Assembly
“The appointment, which takes effect immediately, follows the election by the National Assembly of Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Thoko Didiza as Speaker of the National Assembly,” reads a statement by the Presidency.
On Friday, the newly elected Speaker of the seventh administration committed to ensure that Parliamentary debates are conducted within the rule of law, and in a fair manner.
Didiza took the seat of the Speaker during the first sitting of Parliament, held at Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC).
Didiza, who is an African National Congress (ANC) member, received 284 votes against Economic Freedom Fighters’ (EFF) Veronica Mente, who received 49.
The Democratic Alliance’s Annelie Lotriet was elected Deputy Speaker after securing 273 votes.
Last week Mchunu spoke at the opening of the Water Institute of South Africa conference in Durban.
Mchunu told the media that the government does not have the billions of rand requested by municipalities to improve water supply, and local governments need to work with what they have.
He said the time has come for municipal heads to stop hammering on the fact that they have inherited aged and poorly maintained water infrastructure.
“They must now stop talking about needing R30 billion, or asking for R130 billion they are never going to have… Municipalities need to stop telling people about how much they need, they must tell people how much money they have for this year and how much they are dedicating to water,” Mchunu said.
He added that 80% of income generated by municipalities from water sales was not reinvested back into water infrastructure, and this needed to change.
Mchunu called for the seventh administration to ensure increased private sector participation in water provision, stating he had laid the foundation for the involvement of water providers during his tenure.