Home PodcastJulie Alli Water crisis is due to incompetence, not water shortage

Water crisis is due to incompetence, not water shortage

by Salaamedia Intern
Dilapidating infrastructure has led to water wastage which is the root problem for having water restrictions Photo Pexels

Gauteng – The city of Johannesburg is currently facing water restrictions with the belief they are being implemented due to a water shortage. The real cause seems to be the breakdown of infrastructure.

 While water levels in the reservoir are decreasing rapidly, the main cause seems to be water wastage not water shortages. This is due to pipe breakdown and leakage. Julius Kleynhans, Executive Manager for Social Innovation at OUTA, shares the same belief. South Africa doesn’t have a lack of water but an infrastructure problem.

 “The infrastructure has been deteriorating quite significantly … If you look at the budgeting cycles of municipalities and specifically in Gauteng, there’s not sufficient funds allocated to maintenance. We’re seeing about 2 to 4% of the budgets being allocated and the treasury mandate or suggestion is actually benchmarked at 8%. So, we are budgeting less to maintain more.”

 

A lack of accountability has only worsened the water crisis

 With such a small percent of the budget set aside for maintenance, municipalities have to stretch the money to ensure the necessary repairs are done. For Kleynhans, there is a lack of accountability in the municipalities. This allows them to get away if the budget is spent improperly.

 “The lack of accountability is a big issue here. A municipality is supposed to be run independently. The administration and accounting office is the municipal manager, yet they are being instructed by a politician, who’s the mayor, on what to do. That’s where the political influence has just broken the whole mandate of the municipality and that is to supply basic services.”

 The only way to save municipalities and bring about order is for the community to hold those in charge accountable. Kleynhans is of the belief communities can no longer count on councillors to oversee the spending of the budget, they must take it into their own hands.

 “We need to have oversight because we cannot rely on counsellor oversight. We’ve seen what happens with that. Us as communities, in our ward committee meetings and in our municipalities, need to start exercising our rights. The problem is not all of us have the expertise or the time. That’s why it’s important for organised communities to be structured and people actually being appointed or chosen to start addressing and having these oversight roles in communities.”

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Waiting for the elections or taking actions now

 It is clear the African National Congress is slowly losing its support. People are beginning to lose hope the government will ever fulfil their promises. The next election is in 2024, quite some time from now. While it is important for people to exercise their right to vote, right now it is more important for people to get organised and fight for the change they want, explained Kleynhans.

 “There’s no excuse for us as individuals not to step up and help … The change in this country needs to come from grass root levels. We need to become so well organised in communities that we elect the representatives in our communities that can act on our behalf. The people we know and trust who stay down the road. We can hold to account and that we’ve known for a long time. Eventually these people need to become suitable candidates to stand as counsellors or constituent representatives who might even be in parliament.”

 While there are talks that people should stop paying their bills, Kleynhans believes this is a short-term solution that is not sustainable. There are risks involved and people need to start thinking of medium to long term solutions. The only solution that can provide a future is having an organised community who elect leaders that will fight for them and not against them. In this way, there is a hope those who are elected, will always do right by their community and in turn their country.

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