Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu has called on the department to plan and identify what is most important and urgent that can be addressed with the available resources within reasonable time.
“There is never a time when the clock is not moving. We need to plan and see what is most important and urgent that can be achieved with the available resources as well as within reasonable time. Our office needs to call a meeting urgently with COGTA [Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs] to align the priorities. We need to synergize and align our planning to ensure that we deliver on our mandate,” he said.
The Minister made the call as he and his deputies David Mahlobo and Dikeledi Magadzi began a three-day working visit to Mpumalanga on Monday.
This as the Minister reiterated that South Africa does not have a water crisis. He called for the development and costing of plans with clear timeframes.
The purpose of the visit is to engage stakeholders to fully understand the status and challenges encountered in the delivery of efficient and effective water and sanitation services in the province.
The working session includes engagements with the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) Provincial Office, Mpumalanga Provincial Government led by Premier Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane, local government, water agencies, water board, water services authorities, water user authorities, irrigation boards and other sector stakeholders.
The DWS said the engagements emphasised the need for integrated planning to address the challenges in water and sanitation issues in the province.
Meanwhile, Mpumalanga Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Busisiwe Shiba emphasised the need to “tighten the screws” in the quest to deliver services to the communities. She also highlighted the challenges in relation to non-functional and non-compliant wastewater treatment works and the need for urgent action to respond to these challenges.
Deputy Ministers Mahlobo and Magadzi also emphasised the need for coordinated and proper planning to effectively deliver services to communities.
Magadzi reiterated the urgency for water to be delivered to people, irrespective of who is involved while Mahlobo stated that projects must have clear timeframes and deadlines and must be costed.
Premier Mtsweni-Tsipane in her presentation stated that water and sanitation services are a thorn in the flesh of the province.
“We are seeing population growth in the province, and this is putting pressure on the bulk services,” she said.
The visit to Mpumalanga is the Minister’s seventh provincial visit.
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