Water & sanitation minister Pemmy Majodina cannot wash her hands “like Pontius Pilate” and claim that communities who are without water are not her job and her problem, MK party MP Visvin Reddy told MPs on Wednesday.
Reddy, who once served on the Umgeni Water board in KwaZulu-Natal, spoke during a mini-plenary of the National Assembly after Majodina delivered her budget vote speech.
“The minister constantly says, ‘It’s not my problem’. In fact, when we first came in here, she said, when communities are crying out for water … ‘it’s not my problem’. And in a speech here today, she articulated the very same thing …”
He referred to Majodina, who, in the opening paragraphs of her budget vote speech, said that the national department was responsible for bulk water supply and water resources, while municipalities were responsible for ensuring that water reached the taps.
“It is important for honourable members to understand the value chain of water provision so that they can properly guide members of the community whenever issues of water are raised in their constituencies,” she said.
Majodina listed a range of issues, including organised criminality, water tankering and extortion mafias, vandalism of critical public infrastructure, corruption, poor financial management, and a lack of infrastructure maintenance.
“Most of these challenges fall within the purview of municipalities,” she said.
“We continue to work with local and provincial governments to address these challenges,” she said, noting that municipalities together owed the water boards about R24bn (including interest for long outstanding debt).
She noted that while Mangaung, Johannesburg and Tshwane had settled their water board arrears, the Treasury would withhold this month’s quarterly equitable-share transfer from 18 other municipalities to compel them to pay their outstanding debt.
But Reddy accused Majodina of “hiding behind” the constitution and the Water Services Act, stating that while potable water supply was constitutionally a municipal function, further sections obliged the national and provincial spheres to support, monitor and regulate municipalities so that they could perform that function effectively.
“When municipalities fail because of cadre deployment, corruption and underfunding, you are duty-bound to intervene,” Reddy said.
“You cannot wash your hands like Pontius Pilate and say it is not my job; it’s not my problem. Our people do not drink constitutional clauses or fancy policy papers. They want water in their taps — safe and reliable [water].”
Wouter Wessels of the FF Plus described the country’s water situation as “a huge crisis” and said that about 40% of the country’s treated water was lost through leaks.
“Reddy is correct. Even if it’s the failure of local government, it’s all of our problem,” he said, warning that SA faced an imminent day zero if water leaks were not contained.
Reddy’s strongly worded speech on Wednesday follows his chants of “Pemmy must go” during a debate on a report by the portfolio committee on water and sanitation in March. He left the chamber as parliamentary protection services were called to escort him out.
A week ago, the powers and privileges committee referred the matter to parliament’s disciplinary committee.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.