The portfolio committee on water and sanitation held an emergency meeting with Rand Water on Friday, to determine what can be done about the on-going water crisis.
The committee welcomed the announcement by the Minister of Water and Sanitation and Rand Water, on Saturday, that a joint operations committee would be formed to ensure a coordinated effort to deal with the water shortages in Gauteng, as well as a precautionary measure for any future problems.
The committee’s visit to Rand Water is reported to have been a great success, with the initiatives implemented bearing fruit.
“We have satisfied ourselves, as a committee, that Rand Water has implemented effective strategies to deal with the challenge faced by residents within the past week; there is no water crisis in Gauteng and people must know that they will, from now, on get water,” said Mlungisi Johnson, chairperson of the committee.
During the meeting, the committee was also given the assurance that levels in reservoirs are stabilising and that those residents in high lying areas will also receive water soon.
“The committee is pleased by this information and trusts that Rand Water will deliver as promised,” said Johnson.
The meeting also gave the committee a chance to emphasise the need for a collaborative effort towards dealing with vandalism and theft of copper, valves and cables, that are an integral part in the distribution of water.
“Clearly, we are dealing with organised scrap metal syndicates who place their narrow economic interests above those of this beautiful country,”Johnson said.
“These unscrupulous elements are preying on the poverty of our people and are targeting strategic infrastructure that delivers efficient services to our people.
”These are people who care less about the country or its citizens, but rather remain interested in serving their narrow, selfish economic interests.”
The next step for the committee will be to engage all law enforcement agencies in finding lasting solutions in dealing with this problem.
As a first step towards this collaborative effort, the committee urged anyone with information on vandalism and theft of any water supply infrastructure to come forward.
