Sisulu to fast-track cleanup of shambolic water department

Lindiwe Sisulu, given the task by President Cyril Ramaphosa of cleaning up the department of human settlements, water, and sanitation, says the water sector requires urgent attention and more resources if it is to avoid imminent collapse.

Former minister Nomvula Mokonyane left the department in a shambles, with projects stalled and water boards in a mess due to governance failures. Mokonyane was a key ally of former president Jacob Zuma and has been mentioned repeatedly at the state-capture inquiry.

Sisulu highlighted problems faced by struggling municipalities in her budget vote speech on Tuesday, saying councils owe the nine water boards R14bn for raw water and other services.

The sector has been hit hard by ageing infrastructure; overreliance on consultants; poor water management by municipalities; a shortage of technical staff; and high levels of water-delivery backlogs.

It has also been affected badly by noncompliance by mines with their water licence conditions; vandalism and theft of water infrastructure; nonpayment for services; and poor management of projects. The biggest of these is huge financial mismanagement with many top officials at national and municipal levels under investigation.

This situation has been worsened by huge debts arising from nonpayment, mostly by municipalities.

Sisulu said the department’s financial crisis was due mainly due to irregular spending. She told MPs that the department’s finances needed to be addressed urgently. This comes at a time when the fiscus is constrained by low economic growth likely to lead to lower-than-estimated tax revenue.

The department was allocated a total of R16.4bn for 2019/2020 but began the financial year with accruals and payables of R1.7bn from the previous year. "These accruals and payables have had a carry-through effect on the budget available for the current needs.

"The department is engaging National Treasury on the significant budget shortfalls of more than R2bn affecting key projects such as the Emfuleni intervention project and Mzimvubu water project. I will be having discussions with the finance minister on the possibility of funding or partnering with the private sector to revive the Mzimvubu dam, currently not catered for in our budget, and also the possibility of a new dam," Sisulu said.

She said measures have to be put in place to top slice the municipal grants to service the debt owed to the department and its entities before the grants are paid to municipalities.

Tendering processes, a major problem in the past decade, will be reviewed and rigorous standards applied to create a "leak-resistant" system.

The department’s construction unit will be re-established to undertake maintenance. New regulations will be issued on water conservation. River, dams and sewerage inspectors will be appointed from August 1, 2019.

A special focus will be on two dam projects that will be executed without further delay: the Umzimvubu dam and the Vioolsdrift dam.

Sisulu said all current investigations will be fast-tracked. A Treasury-approved investigative partner will be appointed to deal with all outstanding investigations and fast-track cases. An expert panel will review all blocked projects.

The shameful bucket system will be eradicated within six months, she said.

"Because much is to be done, we will operate in seven-day shifts for the foreseeable future."