Mpumalanga and Limpopo are the only two provinces in South Africa where the number of households with access to water has decreased.
This is according to a 2021/2022 report by the Department of Water and Sanitation, stating that access to water declined in six provinces between 2002 and 2021. The largest decline was observed in Limpopo (-4,4 percentage points), and Mpumalanga (-4,3 percentage points).
This is gravely concerning as Mpumalanga’s water security is already at risk due to ongoing water distribution losses.
The DA is also deeply concerned that the high-water distribution losses in Mpumalanga is attributed to leaks, theft and vandalism. Approximately, 60% of Mpumalanga’s water supply infrastructure is old and made up of asbestos which can easily burst and leak. This places a significant strain on water supply and results in high water distribution losses that affects municipalities in the province.
According to a 2018 presentation to the Portfolio Committee of Cooperative Governance, Mpumalanga local municipalities lost R1.099 billion in the 2016/2017 financial year because of water leakages and electricity theft in the various municipalities.
With over half of its water supply infrastructure being old and crumbling, Mpumalanga is losing millions of litres of fresh drinking water, while municipalities fail to meet the residents’ demand for clean water.
When the Provincial Overview Report on Water and Sanitation Services which was released last year (2022) regarding the water supply and demand in these two districts, the DA finds it concerning to note that:
- Gert Sibande district municipality requires a supply of 269.7 megaliters of water per day (ML/D), but is only capable of providing 251.25 ML/D.
- Nkangala district municipality requires a supply of 395.64 megaliters of water per day (ML/D), but is only capable of providing 307.33 ML/D.
Given the current water supply deficit in these two districts, it is unacceptable that thousands of kilolitres of water are lost in distribution through leaking pipes, taps and illegal water connections.
Furthermore, the 2021/22 municipal annual reports further revealed that:
- Dipaleseng lost 71% of water in distribution
- Victor Khanye lost 69% of the total water purchased
- Thaba Chweu lost 61%.
It is concerning to note that just these three municipalities wasted R167.7 million on water losses due to, among others, lack of infrastructure maintenance, ageing infrastructure, and the lack of appropriate tools of trade.
The DA has since written to the MEC of CoGTA, Mandla Msibi, requesting a plan of action on how his department will curb this unnecessary expense in the coming years and to also discuss the possibility of ring-fencing a portion of local municipalities budget to provide for regular maintenance.