Interventions to solve water challenges faced by Gauteng residents; with Ministry

Video The Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation held an urgent virtual meeting to discuss severe water issues impacting Gauteng residents. The meeting, attended by senior officials from the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) and Rand Water, aimed to address soaring water demand, infrastructure problems, and strategic responses needed to safeguard water supply across South Africa’s economic heartland. The Minister of Water and Sanitation opened the session, highlighting key challenges in Gauteng, where daily water usage has surged to 290 litres per person—well above international norms. Leaks, illegal connections, and ageing infrastructure have compounded this unsustainable demand. The Minister underscored the importance of conservation measures, urging municipalities to enforce Level 1 water restrictions to help avert a potential crisis. Rand Water’s leadership then outlined the operational challenges and risks it faces. These include the deteriorating reliability, availability, and quality of electricity that impact water pumping and treatment. The significant municipal debts totalling R7.8 billion and high levels of non-revenue water account for almost half of Rand Water’s supply. The entity highlighted that municipalities often deflect blame onto Rand Water for challenges that originate within their jurisdictions and this creates reputational risks. To counter the impacts of the outlined issue, Rand Water proposed alternative water and power sources that would reduce dependency on conventional systems, and engaged with municipalities and stakeholders to address issues such as inadequate infrastructure and payment delays. The discussion that followed saw Committee Members pressing for clarity on how Rand Water and the DWS would tackle illegal water connections and delinquent municipal payments, while also exploring alternative energy solutions to reduce reliance on Eskom. The Committee also voiced concerns about delayed infrastructure projects and called for better municipal accountability to ensure effective water management and financial responsibility. In closing, the Minister reaffirmed the DWS’s commitment to addressing these issues collaboratively, noting that water supply restrictions would remain a necessary measure to conserve resources. She assured the Committee that current water reserves would cover any short-term disruptions.