Municipal capture and the absence of maintenance are behind Gauteng’s water woes. [Picture: The Tribune]
An enduring lack of maintenance and municipal capture mean taps could soon run dry in major cities, including Johannesburg. The hot summer months are anticipated to increase demand for water as infrastructure buckles.
Speaking in an interview with Salaamedia on Wednesday, Dr Ferrial Adam, executive manager at WaterCAN, said a lack of maintenance was the number one issue affecting water supply.
“They have not been spending the required amount on maintenance. When you have infrastructure – whether it’s pipes or reservoirs or pump stations – you have to maintain them … That has been neglected to a large extent,” she said.
A lack of timeous maintenance has, among other factors, meant that just over a third (35%) of water pumped to Johannesburg is lost to physical leaks. But there’s more: corruption has also hobbled water supply.
Pointing to Hammanskraal, Pretoria, Adam said “municipal capture” was in full swing while people focused on state capture at a national level. The direct consequence, she cautioned, was the cholera outbreak in May 2023 that left scores dead.
“They shouldn’t have had the issues they had with cholera. The money that was set aside was all stolen and that person is still walking around, enjoying life,” she said.
Last week, Rand Water alerted Gauteng residents to the possibility of a parched summer. It said storage levels “could soon be depleted” as municipalities failed to come to the table.
Adam said it was about time ordinary citizens started playing their part by saving water. She said: “If we behave as if this is not our problem, we will end up not having water in our taps. Not for a short period, but extended periods. We have to come to the party; we have to also save.”
