Metro passes water, sanitation improvement plan

The Tshwane metro has passed a report on a turnaround strategy for water and sanitation operations after it had been confronted with a pressing need to resuscitate its ailing water and sanitation infrastructure.

The council passed the report to avoid forfeiting a performance-based incentive grant from the National Treasury for trading services like water, starting in the 2025/26 financial year.

This strategy sought to improve the performance of the water and sanitation and reposition infrastructure to meet current and future water and sanitation demands for the metro.

The strategy also aims to revitalise the city’s underinvestment in water and sanitation infrastructure, which has led to a decline in service delivery and financial performance.

The report was supposed to be passed at the council meeting that collapsed last month on July 25. It was however given the green light in the Wednesday, July 31 sitting.

According to the report, in 2023 Tshwane requested and received support from the Cities Support Programme (CSP) of the National Treasury to assist with challenges faced by water and sanitation services in the aftermath of the cholera outbreak.

“This request was informed by the declining water and sanitation business over a number of years, characterised by water blue drop status dropping to unacceptable standards; high levels of non-revenue water escalating; frequent water disruptions and failures,” read the report.

The report states that the National Treasury through the CSP provided support to Tshwane to develop a turnaround strategy and plan to build this business into a financially viable department that will be able to deliver on its mandate effectively and efficiently.

According to the report, Tshwane is aware of the current implication of the widespread and long-term underinvestment in both the water and electricity infrastructure, which has resulted in the declining service delivery and financial performance of both trading services.

“This has resulted in the inability to provide consistent, reliable and universal access to essential services.

“The service delivery disruptions and non-compliant treatment works in Tshwane underscores the importance of safe reliable water and brought to public attention the poor state of water and sanitation infrastructure in the city,” read the report.

This long-term under-investment, together with inadequate maintenance, is resulting in a serious decline in both the reliability and safety of water and sanitation provided by the metro to its residents, businesses, and other institutions.

“Significant changes are needed to turn around this decline, which is exacerbated by distribution losses due to illegal connections, high water consumption and poor management capacity.”

It is further required that Tshwane must present an Institutional and Governance Reform roadmap to the National Treasury by September 30.

This must be complemented by the development of business and investment plans matching and supporting the turnaround strategy.

EFF councillor Mpho Motlhabane said they strongly rejected Tshwane’s turnaround strategy and plan.

He said the report doesn’t include timelines, measurable targets, and stringent monitoring mechanisms to ensure effectiveness.

“The report fails to address the critical issue of permanently implementing sanitation issue through the tender system for the past 18 years,” he said.

Motlhabane said residents have been exposed to severe health hazards due to failing infrastructure and rampant sewer spillages.

He said additionally, the privatisation of sewer maintenance has resulted in a lack of accountability and increased risk to public health.

According to Motlhabane, private control of essential services has led to chaos, sewer spillages and a lack of maintenance in townships.

“Pump stations in the townships are vandalised and pipes are old.”

ActionSA councillor Flora Monama however said the party supported the turnaround strategy.

She acknowledged that the underinvestment in water and sanitation infrastructure has been a huge challenge and has led to declining services.

“Some of the challenges faced by the Tshwane metro included a drop in the blue drop status, escalating non-revenue water, frequent water disruption, ageing infrastructure, illegal connections, high consumptions and poor maintenance.”

Monama said ActionSA believes that this strategy will solve all the water issues in the metro.

“Water and sanitation issues are not unique to Tshwane, but a widespread predicament across many South African municipalities.”

She said Tshwane’s water and sanitation infrastructure was also facing rising demand due to the growing population, which underscores the need to maintain and constantly improve infrastructure.

“However we are behind this report and we will move Tshwane forward.”

MMC for Utility Services and Regional Operations Themba Fosi said it was important to approve the plan to ensure that in the future water and sanitation services will be more resilient.

“This is especially taking into account the most important yet very complex relationship between water, people and the economy of South Africa.”

He said the report doesn’t necessarily talk about water. In future, it is going to be electricity and to a certain extent environment and agriculture and management.

“The incentives will be performance-based as per the national treasury and it will also get support on getting this strategy to be working.”

He said the national treasury’s technical support will be enlisted if expertise is running short in the city.

“Underinvestment in water and sanitation services is something which will be looked at and try to improve on for consistent water supply and proper sanitation,” he concluded.

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