Key Takeaways
- 59 municipalities in South Africa spent R2.32 billion on water tankering during the 2023/24 financial year, with R419 million spent irregularly.
- Over 33% of audited municipalities did not have updated water service development plans, which are required by the Water Services Act.
- The lack of maintenance of infrastructure has led to high water losses, poor drinking water quality, and a lack of institutional capability.
- The Auditor-General has called on councils to hold municipal managers accountable for these failures.
- The Sol Plaatje municipality in the Northern Cape was singled out for its poor service delivery, lack of plans, and high water losses.
Introduction to the Crisis
The Auditor-General of South Africa has revealed that 59 municipalities spent a staggering R2.32 billion on emergency water tankers during the 2023/24 financial year. This is a clear indication of the country’s struggling water infrastructure, with many municipalities failing to maintain their crumbling systems. The Auditor-General’s report, presented to the parliamentary portfolio committee on water and sanitation, paints a bleak picture of irregular spending, lack of infrastructure maintenance, and municipal plans to provide services to residents. The report highlights the need for urgent attention to address the water crisis, which is affecting millions of people across the country.
Water Service Development Plans
The Water Services Act requires municipalities to prepare and regularly update their water service development plans, which ensure the effective provision of water and sanitation services to residents. However, the Auditor-General’s report found that more than 33% of the audited municipalities did not have these plans, while six had not updated theirs in the last five years. This lack of planning has resulted in a lack of structured approach to enable proper functioning, increasing the risk of not fulfilling service delivery obligations to residents. The report notes that some municipalities did not provide evidence to confirm the existence or updates of plans, mostly in the Free State and Northern Cape. This lack of planning has serious consequences, including the inability to determine the backlog in water services, conduct water infrastructure condition assessments, and plan for the maintenance of existing infrastructure.
Case Study: Sol Plaatje Local Municipality
The Sol Plaatje municipality in the Northern Cape was singled out for its poor service delivery, lack of plans, and high water losses. The municipality does not have a water service development plan, operations and maintenance plan, or an environmental protection plan. As a result, the municipality did not determine its backlog in water services, did not conduct water infrastructure condition assessments, and could not properly plan for the maintenance of existing infrastructure. The lack of maintenance has contributed to high water losses, which were recorded at 66% in the 2023/24 financial year. The municipality had to use water tanking services to provide access to basic water in some communities, spending R1.6 million on these services in the year under review. The Auditor-General has issued a material irregularity to the accounting officer, who has since taken action to address the environmental issues, including the repair and maintenance of the wastewater treatment works.
Infrastructure Maintenance
The Auditor-General’s report highlights the failure of municipalities to maintain their infrastructure, leading to high water losses and poor drinking water quality. Municipalities reported water losses of R14.89 billion in their financial statements, with inadequate maintenance being a major contributor to this problem. The report notes that there is a lack of institutional capability, with the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) assessing municipalities’ shortfall of 400 staff at water treatment works, either vacant or without required qualifications. Furthermore, 60% of wastewater treatment works have poor technical skills, highlighting the need for urgent attention to address these capacity constraints. The Auditor-General has called on councils to hold municipal managers accountable for these failures, citing poor coordination amongst the water sector roleplayers and a lack of monitoring and enforcement of consequences by the DWS and the members of the executive council for local government.
Conclusion and Recommendations
The Auditor-General’s report is a wake-up call for municipalities to take urgent action to address the water crisis. The report highlights the need for municipalities to prepare and update their water service development plans, maintain their infrastructure, and hold municipal managers accountable for failures. The Sol Plaatje municipality is a prime example of the consequences of poor planning and lack of maintenance, with high water losses and poor drinking water quality affecting the health and well-being of residents. The report’s findings and recommendations should be taken seriously by municipalities, and urgent action should be taken to address the water crisis and ensure that residents have access to clean and safe water. By holding municipal managers accountable and addressing the capacity constraints, municipalities can begin to address the water crisis and provide better services to their residents.
