DA seeks DWS intervention as Limpopo municipalities lose up to 78% water
The DA has requested DWS intervention after a Provincial Treasury report revealed staggering water losses of up to 78% in Limpopo municipalities.
LIMPOPO – The Democratic Alliance (DA) will request the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) to intervene in the ongoing deterioration of the water value chain in Limpopo.
In a statement, Jacques Smalle, DA Provincial Spokesperson for COGHSTA, said a report by the Provincial Treasury on the state of municipal finances for the first six months of the financial year “paints a grim picture of the lack of sustainability of water supplies across the province.”
Staggering water losses
The report highlighted concerning water losses, derived from kilolitres purchased against kilolitres sold:
| Municipality | Water Loss | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Thabazimbi Local Municipality | 78% | +2% |
| Vhembe District | 74% | -612% |
| Lephalale Local Municipality | 40% | +40.5% |
| Capricorn District | 38% | +9% |
| Sekhukhune District | 37% | – |
| Bela-Bela Local Municipality | 37% | – |
| Mopani District | 22% | – |
*Vhembe’s -612% indicates non-existing reconciliation procedures.
Neglect of repairs and maintenance
Against the backdrop of staggering water losses, Limpopo municipalities spend on average 3% on repairs and maintenance, with Lepelle Nkumpi the only municipality exceeding the 8% norm at 11%.
Several municipalities spent 0% on maintenance and repairs, including:
- Blouberg
- Sekhukhune
- Waterberg
Maruleng, Mopani, Collins Chabane and Lephalale municipalities spent only 1%.
Billing systems in crisis
“The dire situation is exacerbated by dysfunctional billing systems, with only 5% of municipal income derived from water billing.
Years of neglect, blatantly ignoring minimum standards and inexperienced officials have left multiple communities without water, with water load reduction implemented in areas with existing but unreliable systems,” said Smalle.
DA: ‘MEC failed to intervene’
The DA said that despite various requests over the last decade, the MEC for COGHSTA failed to execute the mandate in terms of Section 139(5) of the Constitution to intervene in municipalities facing financial distress and unable to deliver services.
“Instead, the provincial government side-stepped the escalating crisis through meaningless political rhetoric and empty promises.”
What the DA wants
The DA added that it cannot allow the provincial government to disregard the basic right of access to water and requests the DWS to initiate a comprehensive turnaround plan where municipalities face a collapse of water infrastructure and billing systems.
This includes:
- Restructuring local service delivery and deploying technical engineers to fix boreholes and restore and stabilise bulk water pipelines
- Deploying experienced officials to put systems in place to improve and maintain billing systems
- Tracking national municipal performance audits, accessing the DWS Integrated Regulatory Information System (IRIS), and enforcing corrective measures to improve water services
Call to prioritise existing projects
The DA urged the DWS to prioritise existing projects and to discourage any vanity projects and promises by ANC politicians in the run-up to the local government elections on November 4.
