Questions and Replies

Reply:

a)  The Green, Blue and No Drop reports are released every two years after the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) conducts comprehensive assessments of Water Treatment Works and municipal water distribution systems as well as wastewater systems in the country. Interim reports which are progress reports are released in the alternate year. The progress reports focus on the progress of municipalities in addressing the findings of the full Green, Blue and No Drop reports.

The intention of these uniquely South African regulatory tools is to improve municipal drinking water quality, wastewater management as well as water conservation and demand management. The Green, Blue and No Drop reports keep the public and stakeholders informed and updated with credible data and information about the state of water and sanitation services in the country. Water services institutions that achieve compliance and excellence in providing such services are also recognised for excellence. This serves as an incentive for water services institutions to improve their performance.

The reports identify what needs to be done to address each of the shortcomings identified in the reports. In this regard, the reports are a support mechanism, in addition to being a regulatory mechanism, because they provide the owners of the infrastructure (municipalities) with advice and guidance to improve water and sanitation services.

Beyond the comprehensive assessments of water and wastewater systems by the DWS and the continuous monitoring of progress made by municipalities, there are other mechanisms that Water Service Providers (WSP), including Water Boards and Water Service Authorities (WSA) must put in place to ensure compliance with the National Standards. Some of these include, amongst others:

• Municipalities and water boards are required by law to meet drinking water standards set by the South African Bureau of Standards in South African National Standard (SANS) 241 and must conduct regular tests on their treated water to ensure compliance with the standard. A water service provider or municipality must be agile and responsive when their tests indicate a challenge with the water quality compliance.

• The effluent from Wastewater Treatment Works which goes into rivers is also required to meet minimum standards, set by the DWS. Monitoring frequencies of these conditions are much higher than the Green Drop Assessments and water services providers must monitor compliance and provide corrective measures when required.

• WSAs and WSPs need to ensure proper metering, monitor and be responsive to reported water leaks to ensure timeous repairs of their infrastructure to reduce losses.

b) The following is being done to by DWS ensure compliance and provide support to municipalities and to improve the effectiveness of the monitoring tools:

• The Minister has agreed on action plans to address infrastructural deficiencies in many of the worst performing municipalities, and DWS is assisting municipalities with funding from the Water Services Infrastructure Grant and Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant to address these deficiencies.

• DWS is taking regulatory action in terms of the National Water Act, including issuing non-compliance notices, directives, taking civil action, and as a last resort, laying criminal charges against polluting municipalities that are non-responsive to regulatory actions taken by the DWS.

• DWS is drafting amendments to the Water Services Act to strengthen its role as the regulator of municipal water and sanitation services and to enable the Minister to intervene effectively when there is non-compliance with directives to stop pollution.

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Reply:

Yes, The Minister of Water and Sanitation invoked Section 63 of the Water Services Act (108 of 1997) in July 2021 and subsequently appointed Rand Water as the Implementing Agent (IA) to conduct the assessment and implement the necessary intervention to gradually address challenges. The Water and Sanitation Masterplan was compiled with the implementation protocol to guide with infrastructure management, refurbishment, upgrades, operation and maintenance. The implementation protocol involves Rand Water, Emfuleni Local Municipality, the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs and the Department of Water and Sanitation.

Rand Water is currently assisting Emfuleni Local Municipality to improve revenue collection and debt management as part of the Section 63 intervention. Rand Water is assisting the Municipality with water conservation and demand management (WCWDM) and with capacitation of the water and sanitation department of the Emfuleni Local Municipality.

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Reply:

a)  Rand Water has an allotment of water for each municipality as summarized in the table below:

Municipality	Allocated amount (Ml/d)
1.	City of Johannesburg Metro	1356
2.	City of Ekurhuleni Metro	1022
3.	City of Tshwane Metro	667
4.	Emfuleni Local Municipality	239
5.	Mogale City Local Municipality	93
6.	Metsimaholo Local Municipality	51
7.	Rustenburg Local Municipality	68
8.	Govan Mbeki Local Municipality	106
9.	Midvaal Local Municipality	28
10.	Merafong Local Municipality	86
11.	Rand West Local Municipality	91
12.	Lesedi Local Municipality	23
13.	Ngwathe Local Municipality	7
14.	Victor Khanye Local Municipality	17
15.	Royal Bafokeng Administration	10
16.	Madibeng Local Municipality	8
17.	Thembisile Hani Local Municipality	31

(b) The total amount used by each municipality from 1 January 2023 to 30 June 2023 is as follows:

Actual Average Monthly Consumption (Ml/d)
Municipality	Jan ‘23	Feb ‘23	Mar ‘23	Apr ‘23	May ‘23	Jun ‘23
City of Johannesburg Metro	1751	1738	1731	1735	1751	1750
City of Ekurhuleni Metro	1009	987	1019	989	982	980
City of Tshwane Metro	765	754	790	784	789	796
Emfuleni Local Municipality	299	308	304	291	285	288
Mogale City Local Municipality	102	95	94	97	98	99
Metsimaholo Local Municipality	45	39	39	40	39	41
Rustenburg Local Municipality	96	91	97	96	97	97
Govan Mbeki Local Municipality	93	93	83	84	87	87
Midvaal Local Municipality	36	35	37	35	34	32
Merafong Local Municipality	75	71	80	74	74	72
Rand West Local Municipality	78	76	76	75	77	78
Lesedi Local Municipality	23	24	21	19	23	22
Ngwathe Local Municipality	8	8	8	7	9	8
Victor Khanye Local Municipality	18	18	17	16	11	16
Royal Bafokeng Administration	16	13	18	17	15	16
Madibeng Local Municipality	15	14	12	12	12	13
Thembisile Hani Local Municipality	33	32	29	30	31	33
Grand Total	4461	4396	4453	4401	4415	4426

c) The allocated amounts per municipality are the optimal amounts needed by each municipality. Any demand above the allotted amounts renders Rand Water non-compliant with the abstraction conditions imposed by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS).

(d) The main reasons for the allotment are to:

• Encourage the municipalities to improve their water use efficiencies and reduce their demand in line with the current abstraction conditions.
• Assist Rand Water to comply with the abstraction conditions from the DWS.
• Ensure sustainable abstraction of water from the resource (Integrated Vaal River System)

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Reply:

1. The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) is aware of water supply challenges being experienced in the Ugu District Municipality (DM) on the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal. The water demands in the Umtamvuna water supply system exceed the available treated water primarily due to a shortage of power to pump and treat sufficient water. Due to constraints in the power grid in the area in KwaZulu-Natal, negotiations are currently underway to secure additional power from the Eastern Cape. The DWS is unaware of sewage issues in the Banners Rest area. This matter will be investigated.

2. The DWS has intervened in the area by participating in a technical task team and establishing a War Room to monitor the implementation of turnaround plans and projects that will improve water supply for the communities of the district. The DWS is very concerned about the impact of water supply interruptions on tourism, business, and the communities and has allocated an additional R150m of the Water Services Infrastructure Grant to the Ugu DM to implement interventions. The WSIG allocation to the Ugu DM is R327,35 million over the medium-term expenditure framework.

The additional R150 million will be utilized to provide operational stability through improved bulk metering, valve refurbishment and telemetry, pipeline replacement and an emergency borehole programme, with over 20 boreholes already pumping clean drinking water to communities. In addition, the DWS is supporting the Ugu DM with the detailed planning for other regional bulk water supply projects including Harding Weza, Umtamvuna and Vulamehlo regional schemes. It is anticipated that this planning will take about 12 months to complete.

In the longer term, to ensure there is sufficient water resources to supply the area, the Minister of Water and Sanitation has issued a Directive to Umngeni-Uthukela Water Board to fund and implement the Cwabeni Dam, an off-channel storage dam with a capacity of approximately 70 million cubic meters to augment the Bhobhoi / Mzimkhulu supply system in Port Shepstone and surrounding areas. The project involves the construction of a dam, as well as associated infrastructure such as spillways, a water treatment plant, and a pipeline to convey water to the existing water supply system. The project is expected to cost R1.8 billion and is planned to be completed by 2033.

In relation to sewer spillages, in other parts of the Ugu DM, the DWS issued a Directive to the municipality on 13 May 2022 following the April 2022 floods. The War Room mentioned above is also aimed at addressing sanitation challenges in the area. Furthermore, each instance of pollution reported to the Department is investigated and communication sent to the municipality.

3. The DWS is working hard to support the Ugu DM to ensure that they fulfil their constitutional responsibility of water service provision. The DWS is confident that the support projects and the capacity support provided by CoGTA has already resulted in improvements in water supply in some areas. Unfortunately, not all interventions will yield immediate improvements, however, the DWS is providing significant financial support and technical oversight in the Ugu District Municipality and will continue to monitor the situation closely.

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Reply:

1. The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has taken steps to address the various complaints received in relation to sewage leakages affecting Blue Crane Route Local Municipality (BCRLM) communities. These have been investigated and the DWS in its regulatory role, has taken the following actions:

• Issued a Directive dated 31 October 2019 for the failing Somerset East sewage pump station.
• Notice of Pollution dated 19 December 2020 for the Aeroville pump station.
• Notice of failure to comply with license conditions dated 18 February 2021.
• Non-compliance letter for poor Green Drop Report Audit Findings dated 08 April 2022.
• Directive for failure to address pollution of the Somerset East Irrigation canal dated 22 February 2023.
• Notice of breach of obligation for sewer spillages in Cookhouse and Somerset East dated 25 July 2023.

2. The DWS takes a range of regulatory actions in terms of the National Water Act, including issuing non-compliance notices, directives, taking civil action, and as a last resort, laying criminal charges against polluting municipalities. Criminal charges has not been pursued as yet because the municipality has been responsive to the non-compliance directives and directives as indicated below:

• The municipality has submitted a suitable action plan to address various non-compliances. The implementation thereof is being monitored by the DWS. To this end, all blockages have been cleared and vandalised cables replaced, however the mechanical and electrical Professional Services Provider is awaiting delivery of spares and refurbished pumps for the high lift pump, the Mayele pump station and the Memese pump station all at Somerset East.
• The municipality has also appointed a new Water Services Manager who commenced duty on 01 August 2023
• The Ministry met with MEC of Co-Operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, the Mayor and Leadership of BCRLM on 16 August 2023 during the Ministerial visit to the Eastern Cape, where provincial and municipal leadership committed to work towards improving wastewater management.

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Reply:

a) The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), has found the main reasons for the deterioration of the water and sanitation systems are:

• Infrastructure is in a poor condition, caused by a lack of maintenance, which is in turn caused by non-prioritization of budgets for maintenance and operations as well as poor billing and revenue collection, which are in turn caused by poor leadership and management.
• Non-adherence to standard operating processes for drinking water treatment and wastewater treatment, caused by municipalities failing to hire the necessary staff with the correct skills and qualifications as well as poor management in the municipalities. These factors are as important as infrastructure condition, if not more important, as contributors to poor performance.
• DWS, the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) and Department of Human Settlements (DHS) allocate approximately R20 billion per annum in water and sanitation infrastructure grants to municipalities, but often this money must be used to repeatedly repair and refurbish infrastructure which has deteriorated rapidly due to a lack of maintenance by municipalities.
• Vandalism and metal theft are an increasing cause of infrastructure failure, but this is partly a result of inadequate security being provided by the municipalities.

b) The DWS released its Green Drop report in 2022, which indicated that the performance of many municipal wastewater treatment systems has deteriorated. The report identified 334 wastewater systems in a critical state of performance, in 90 municipalities. Blue Drop assessments are also being conducted by the DWS to all Water Services Authorities to measure all aspects contributing to a sustainable Water Services Business, and provision of safe water to the citizens of South Africa. The Blue Drop report is due to be released at the end of September 2023. Beyond producing the Blue and Green monitoring reports, DWS is engaged in several initiatives aimed at addressing the problem of pollution of rivers by municipal wastewater treatment works in the following ways:

• Firstly, the Minister has agreed on action plans to address infrastructural deficiencies in many of the worst performing municipalities, and DWS is assisting municipalities with funding from the Water Services Infrastructure Grant and Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant to address these deficiencies.

• Secondly, DWS is taking regulatory action in terms of the National Water Act, including issuing non-compliance notices, directives, taking civil action, and as a last resort, laying criminal charges against polluting municipalities.

• Thirdly, DWS is drafting amendments to the Water Services Act to strengthen its role as the regulator of municipal water and sanitation services and to enable the Minister to intervene effectively when there is non-compliance with directives to stop pollution.

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Reply:

a)  791 water use licence applications were approved since 10 February 2022

b) 198 of the 791 water use licence applications were issued to Historically Disadvantaged Individuals.

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Reply:

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has put measures in place to prevent underspending on the grants and transfers allocated for the provision of water and sanitation infrastructure. Some of the strategies and/or steps includes the following:

• Collaboration with Implementing Agents to address challenges emanating from Supply Chain Management.
• Reprioritising the budget towards projects with acceleration plans and effective contract management.
• DWS is improving project audits and ensuring compliance for both direct and indirect grants funded projects to mitigate against poor performance.
• The DWS has established and is capacitating its Water Services Branch with engineers and project managers to improve monitoring of all projects across the country.

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Reply:

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS)has sent a Notice of Intention to issue a Directive in terms of the National Water Act (Act 36 of 1998) to the Lesedi Local Municipality in relation to the operations and maintenance of Devon Waste Water Treatment Works. In addition, a non-compliance letter was issued to the municipality in terms of the 2022 Green Drop audit findings.

The DWS has provided support to the municipality in the 2022/2023 financial year through the Water and Sanitation Infrastructure Grant (WSIG). The WSIG transfer went towards Devon Wastewater Treatment Works for:

• Upgrading of power supply
• Refurbishment of critical Mechanical and electrical equipment
• Licensing of the works to ensure compliance with Green Drop Certification programme.

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Reply:

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) and Rand Water, working with all Water Service Authorities (WSA) within the Gauteng Province, have put in place the following measures to curb shortages of bulk water in the province:

• Rand Water commissioned the Zuikerbosch Water Treatment Plant on 31 August 2023. The Zuikerbosch WTW will provide an additional 150ML/d into the water supply system and WSAs are expected to provide DWS with detailed plans on how the additional water will be used more efficiently.
• Municipalities are encouraged to fix leakages that result in high non-revenue water losses.
• Rand Water and Water Service Authorities are implementing Water Conservation/Water Demand management measures.
• Municipalities are raising awareness to water users to reduce consumption of water.
• DWS is also engaging all municipalities in Gauteng to build more reservoirs to curb water outages.

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Reply:

a) The Department of Water and Sanitation convened a joint workshop with Water Boards, National Treasury, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) and South African Local Government Association on 5 December 2022. The purpose of the workshop was to develop strategies to improve Billing and Revenue Collection in the water sector. The resolution from that workshop was to draft standardised operating processes (SOP) for debt recovery, to cater for both the Water Boards and the Department’s Water Trading Entity.

b) The proposed actions and strategies in place to tackle the municipal debt include the following:

• DWS will collaborate with National Treasury to ensure that equitable share allocations are withheld from non-paying municipalities.
• DWS will ensure that standardised credit control and debt recovery processes are put in place across all the water boards. This will include consistent enforcement of water restrictions on non-paying municipalities and legal processes to attach municipal bank accounts where necessary.
• Bulk prepaid meters will be installed by water boards in municipalities with a poor payment record.

c) The Minister has finalized the consultation process with 144 Water Services Authorities on the outcome of the above-mentioned workshop. The Minister is currently engaging with the Water Boards regarding the measures to address municipal debts to the Water Boards.

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Reply:

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has not been informed of the tap water in Ward 5, Riemvasmaak in the Kou-Kamma Local Municipality (LM). The Kou-Kamma LM has not captured water sampling results on the Integrated Regulatory Information System (IRIS) of DWS, which led to regulatory notices being issued to Kou-Kamma LM.

a) Following an investigation, it was found that the Riemvasmaak is a community of about 40 informal houses within Woodlands the area. The community is served by one stand-pipe tap linked to the reticulation of the Woodlands Water Treatment Works (WTW). Kou-Kamma LM officials have provided copies of sample results for Woodlands WTW and water supply area. Results from water samples taken on each of the following dates 08 March, 12 April and 10 May 2023 showed that each test result complied with the microbiological health parameters of E.coli, total coliforms and total bacteria. The chemical results from March showed a lower pH (on acidic side) and levels of dissolved Iron and Manganese exceeding the aesthetic limits and dissolved Manganese exceeding the chronic health limit (SANS 241:2015). This dissolved Iron & Manganese could be the cause of brown discoloration.

b) Kou-Kamma officials reported that contact with the Clinic serving Woodlands and Riemvasmaak areas has not observed or recorded any increase of diarrhoeal cases. The following measures are put in place:

• A tender for laboratory analysis to increase monitoring,
• Commitment to capture monitoring results on Integrated Regulatory Information System (IRIS).
• Investigation into the reason for; and treatment options, to remove the Iron & Manganese found at the Woodlands WTW.

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Reply:

A water quality monitoring programme is being implemented by the Musina Local Municipality in relation to the compliance to South Africa National Standard 241(SANS 241) following the visit by the Minister of the Department of Water and Sanitation to Musina in 2022. The following measures were implemented to improve the drinking water quality:

• Cleaning of reservoirs
• Chlorination/disinfection of water before distribution
• Monitoring programme of water quality was initiated from 26 May 2022 at seven monitoring points including Oorplaas, Musina Municipal Main Office, Musina Intermodal Terminal Ext 9, Venetia Guesthouse, Musina Hospital, Gateway Ext 8, and Beitbrige.

The outcome of the water quality compliance monitoring indicated the following:

• Microbiological - three sampling points complied (Oorplaas, Musina Intermodal Terminal Ext 9 and Beitbridge)
• Chemical - all sampling points complied
• Physical - six sampling points complied (Oorplaas, Musina Municipal Main Office, Musina Intermodal Terminal Ext 9, Venetia Guesthouse, Messina Hospital, and Gateway extension 8)

Recommendations to correct the failing sampling points were made to the municipality by the Department of Water and Sanitation. A follow up was done on 29 June 2022 to check progress made at the Musina Intermodal Terminal, Gateway Primary School, Bergview Reservoir, Messina Municipality, Messina Borehole, Messina Hospital, Messina Borehole, Venetia Guest House, Oorplas, Oorplas Inlet, Beitbridge PS. The outcome of the water quality compliance indicated the following:

• Microbiological- seven sampling points complied (Gateway Primary School, Bergview Reservoir, Messina Municipality, Messina Borehole, Messina Hospital, Messina Borehole, Oorplas, Beitbridge PS)
• Chemical- All sampling points complied
• Physical – All sampling points complied

As indicated above, water quality results indicate that there has been improvement on the microbiological compliance as a result of the remedial actions implemented by the municipality.

(2) (a) The municipality continues to monitor water quality on a monthly basis on Conductivity, Chloride, E.coli, Fluoride, Free Chlorine, Iron, Manganese, pH, Sulfate, Total Coliforms, Total Dissolve Solids and Turbidity since the establishment of the monitoring programme.

(2) (b) Tests conducted during May 2023 found that free chlorine was lower than the range of 0,2mg/l and 0,5mg/l. This non-compliance does not pose any health risk since the municipality is compliant with regard to microbiological compliance.

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Reply:

a)  The costs for water tanks that are hired by municipalities are borne by the municipalities as Water Service Authorities. DWS does not have this information.

b) The StatsSA General Household Survey (GHS) showed that 89% of households have access to operational services, while reliability is only at 63%.

The Department is embarking on the development Five Year Reliable Water and Sanitation Services Delivery Implementation Plans for all 44 DMS that will, after completion, produce a pipeline of projects for each WSA with the associated schedule and costing. National grant funding programmes will then be aligned with these needs.

Currently, the Department is spearheading the progressive implementation of various water and sanitation projects through the various programmes such as the Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant (RBIG) and Water Services Infrastructure Grant (WSIG). It is estimated that the water and sanitation sector requires R90 billion per year for the next 10 years in order to achieve 100% reliable water and sanitation service provision in South Africa.

c) Water tankering is meant to be a temporary measure utilised by municipalities to ensure that communities are provided with water where there are water supply interruptions resulting from disasters such as floods or droughts or other temporary challenges. However, in many instances, the use of tankers to supplement inadequate water supply by municipalities has become part of the ‘normal’ system to supply communities with water. In some instances, there are allegations that infrastructure is vandalised to facilitate continuation of business opportunities via provision of water tankers to municipalities. Municipalities have been advised by the DWS secure water infrastructure and prevent vandalism and theft of infrastructure which causes water supply interruptions.

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Reply:

The Department of Water and Sanitation office regularly conducts inspections and audits on the operation and maintenance of the Wastewater Collector Systems (WWCS) including wastewater treatment plants, pump stations, and sewer networks in all Water Services Institution (WSIs) in the Free State Province including the Mangaung Metro Municipality. The inspections are intended to assess if WWCS are operated and maintained in a manner that does not pose risks contamination of water resources thus increasing risks to human health and the environment.

The final effluent released back to the water resource is also monitored to ensure compliance with water use authorization conditions or general authorization limits where water use authorization is not available. Administrative Enforcement by issuing of non-compliance notices or directives is done to the WSIs. This is to ensure that there is improvement on the status of sanitation infrastructure operation and maintenance and the quality final effluent released back to the water resources. In areas where there are material breaches, DWS can follow the civil or criminal measures.

Ward 6 in Mangaung is served by the Sterkwater WWTW and Bloemspruit WWTW. The Sterkwater WWTW is non-operational while the Bloemspruit WWTW is partially operational. The non-functionality of the wastewater systems affects sewer network and causes sewer spillages in. The DWS issued with Directive in 2021 by DWS for poor operation and maintenance which causes sewer spillages with respect to the Bloemspruit WWTW.

The DWS is in the process of issuing with a Notice for intention to issue a Directive with respect to the Sterkwater wastewater plant. During routine inspections, Sterkwater WWTW was found to be operational albeit with some operation and maintenance problems. Upon follow up in July 2022, the plant was found to be non-functional.

The Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality (MMM) was funded with R100 million through the Urban Settlements Development Grant (USDG) in February 2023 to address the refurbishment of WWTWs and pump stations and eradicate sewer spillages amongst other municipal challenges. The scope of work for the water and sanitation projects included the following:

• Condition assessment and refurbishment of sewer pumpstations, WWTW as well as bulk and reticulation sewer networks.
• Preventative maintenance on the sewer network components
• Emergency attendance to sewer infrastructure blockages and failures

Based on the report submitted by MMM to DWS in June 2023, the status of the project to refurbish the Bloemspruit WWTW was at 50% while the status for the project Sterkwater WWTW project was at 35%.

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Reply:

Raw water is drawn from rivers and dams and treated in Water Treatment Works by either water boards or municipalities before it is supplied to households. The treated water is required by law to meet drinking water standards set by the South African Bureau of Standards in South African National Standard (SANS) 241. Municipalities and water boards are also required to conduct regular tests on the treated water to ensure that it complies with the standard.

After the water has been utilised by households, it goes through the sewer system to municipal Waste Water Treatment Works. The Waste Water Treatment Works (WWTW) processes the sewage and effluent is discharged into the rivers. The effluent from WWTW is also required to meet minimum standards, set by the Department of Water and Sanitation.

In terms of SANS241 and the norms and standards issued by DWS under the Water Services Act, when the tests carried out by a municipality indicate that the water supplied poses a health risk, the municipality must inform its consumers that the quality of the water that it supplies poses a health risk. To date, the original sources of the cholera infections in different parts of the country have not been located.

It is important to note that cholera is not only spread through polluted water. Outbreaks of cholera are caused either by people ingesting sewage-polluted water, or by faecal-oral means; through poor hygiene, eating contaminated food, or by coming into contact with the faeces of an infected person. Sewage pollution of rivers can also result in cholera bacteria entering the rivers via the faeces of an infected person or people.

In terms of the National Water Act, the Department issues compliance Notices and Directives to municipalities that are not compliant with norms and standards, instructing them to remedy the non-compliance. Where the Notices and Directives are not acted upon, the Department institutes legal action against the municipalities.

The Department is also supporting and intervening in many municipalities across the country with grant funding to address infrastructure deficits and improve water and sanitation services. The Department, collaborating with Water Boards is also assisting the municipalities with technical expertise and management support.

The Department is in the process of strengthening its role as the regulator of water services. This includes developing more comprehensive and more stringent norms and standards for water service and standardising its regulatory processes so that it is more consistent with its regulatory actions.

To conclude, the results of the 2023 Watch Reports also indicate that legislative reforms may be required to ensure that water service providers are professionally managed, capable, efficient and financially viable institutions. The Department is in the process of consulting with water sector stakeholders regarding such reforms.

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Reply:

Outbreaks of cholera are caused either by people ingesting sewage-polluted water, or by faecal-oral means - through poor hygiene, eating contaminated food or by coming into contact with the faeces of an infected person. Sewage pollution of rivers can result in cholera bacteria entered the rivers via the faeces of an infected person or people.

DWS released its Green Drop report in 2022, which indicated that the performance of many municipal wastewater treatment systems is deteriorating. The report identified 334 wastewater systems in a critical state of performance, in 90 municipalities. This means that many municipalities are discharging effluent from their wastewater (sewage) treatment works which does not meet the specified treatment levels, which in turn is resulting in pollution of rivers. The Vaal River is one of the worst polluted rivers in South Africa.

DWS has been carrying out weekly tests for cholera in the Vaal River at the point in Ngwathe where AfriForum tests initially indicated the presence of cholera bacteria, which was as a result of the proximity of a sewage-spilling manhole situated near the watercourse. DWS tests at the

site have not yet identified cholera bacteria. However, this does not mean that the AfriForum tests were incorrect. Cholera-infected faeces can be present at a particular point in the river at a particular time but may later flow downstream. DWS will conduct further tests downstream.

DWS has been informing members of the public that rivers, dams, and streams contain raw (untreated) water, and this water is not suitable for human consumption. Members of the public are therefore urged to avoid consuming untreated water sourced from such water bodies unless it is first disinfected. The National Institute for Communicable Diseases has also set out guidelines that should be followed regarding safe drinking water.

Municipalities are required by law to carry out regular tests of treated drinking water before it is provided to communities. Drinking water provided by municipalities is safe to drink if municipalities are carrying out the tests as required and if the tests show that the water meets the standards for drinking water as set by the South African Bureau of Standards.

Beyond producing the Blue, Green and No Drop monitoring reports, DWS is engaged in several initiatives aimed at addressing the problem of pollution of rivers by municipal wastewater treatment works. Firstly, the Minister has agreed on action plans to address infrastructural deficiencies in many of the worst performing municipalities, and DWS is assisting municipalities with funding from the Water Services Infrastructure Grant and Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant to address these deficiencies. Secondly, DWS is taking regulatory action in terms of the National Water Act, including issuing non-compliance notices, directives, taking civil action, and as a last resort, laying criminal charges against polluting municipalities. Thirdly, DWS is drafting amendments to the Water Services Act to strengthen its role as the regulator of municipal water and sanitation services and to enable the Minister to intervene effectively when there is non-compliance with directives to stop pollution.

a) Since the announcement of the cholera outbreak in the Free State Province in May 2023, in the Ngwathe Local Municipality (Vredefort and Parys), DWS has been collecting water samples on weekly basis to ensure that communities are receiving drinking water which is compliant to the South African National Standard (SANS) 241 and is safe for human consumption. Water samples were also collected at drinking water sources such as:

• Boreholes and Water Treatment Works (WTW) from the 2 towns (Parys and Vredefort)
• Raw water at the inlet into both Parys and Vredefort WTW
• Effluent discharged back into the Vaal River from both the Parys and Vredefort Wastewater Treatment Works (WWTW).

b) The DWS has been working with all relevant stakeholders to deal with the cholera outbreak in Free State and is is part of the Rapid Response Team (RRT) established to deal with the cholera outbreak in Ngwathe Local Municipality (LM). The team includes the Ngwathe LM, Fezile Dabi District Municipality (DM), and Department of Health. This team meets twice a week a week and the RRT briefs the Member of Executive Council (MEC) responsible for Health in the Free State on a number of issues including water supply and quality issues every Sunday evening.

To maximise the impact on the ground in terms interventions, a task team has also been established to coordinate the responses specifically on the improvement of water quality. This team is led by the DWS, and includes the Department of Health, Fezile Dabi DM, and Ngwathe LM. Sample collection is carried out as follows:

• • The DWS collects samples from all the drinking water sources (boreholes and WTW) in Vredefort and Parys, raw water at the inlet at the Parys and Vredefort WTW, and

Wastewater final effluent discharged back into the Vaal River from both the Parys and Vredefort Wastewater Treatment Works (WWTW).

• • The Fezile Dabi DM collects samples in the distribution network for the Vredefort and Parys towns including the water tanks.
  • The Ngwathe LM continues with their operational monitoring including parts of the distribution network.

c) DWS has been providing financial support to the Ngwathe LM with water and Sanitation projects through its grants. There is a project to refurbish the Parys WTW intended to bring relief to the area and ensure that water quality is compliant with norms and standards. For the 2023/24 financial year, the DWS has allocated R50 million under RBIG and R14,021 million under WSIG for water and sanitation interventions in Ngwathe LM.

The DWS also established a War Room with the Ngwathe LM to deal with all the water supply and water quality challenges in the municipality so that immediate interventions can be implemented. The War Room is comprised of the Ngwathe LM, Fezile Dabi DM, the DWS, CoGTA and MISA. The meetings are held twice per week on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

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Reply:

a)  The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) monitors the condition of municipal water and sanitation infrastructure through three incentive-based regulatory mechanisms:

• The Green Drop Report, which focuses on sanitation (waste-water treatment systems and effluent quality)
• The Blue Drop Report, which focuses on water (water treatment and water quality)
• The No Drop Report, which focuses on non-revenue water and water losses through leakages

The Blue and Green Drop Assessments results have shown that numerous municipalities lack the financial and technical capacity to manage water services adequately. The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has a constitutional obligation to support municipalities, as well as to regulate the provision of water and sanitation services. The Minister has crisscrossed the country visiting those municipalities with severe challenges with water and sanitation services. In many of the worst performing municipalities, Minister and municipal leadership have agreed on improvement plans. In certain instances, the Minister has set-up both Political and Technical Committees comprising of various institutions to oversee and drive the implementations of these plans/projects.

b) Based on the Blue and Green Drop assessment findings, municipalities are required to develop and submit corrective action plans to the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS). The improvement plans include a range of short, medium, and long-term projects to improve water and sanitation infrastructure.

Furthermore, the DWS together with the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Department of Human Settlement and National Treasury are in the process of developing the National Action Plan to implement the corrective or improvement plans.

Both these plans will be funded through the DWS’ Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant (RBIG) and Water Services Infrastructure Grant (WSIG) and CoGTA’s Municipal Infrastructure Grant.

Furthermore, the Minister is strengthening the capacity of Water Boards to assist municipalities to implement these improvement plans. There are a number of projects that are being implemented throughout the country with the assistance of Water Boards and the DWs’ Construction Unit.

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Reply:

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) and Nkomazi Local Municipality (LM) conducted a site inspection that included Ericsville and surrounding villages including Ericsville, Ka-Hhoyi, Goba and Mbangwane. The inspection covered six reservoirs (three concrete and three elevated steel tanks) as well as the Masibekela Water Treatment Works.

The water scheme comprises of three phases of 7ML/day per phase producing a total of 21ML/day. The Nkomazi LM reported that 10.5ML of water is supplied to the eastern side of the scheme, which Ericsville is part of, and 10ML of water is supplied though the Sibande Water Supply Scheme on the western side.

However, the Masibekela Water Supply Scheme was damaged by the February 2023 floods which resulted in about 90% of the raw pumping house being submerged in the Komati River. More damage was caused to the two 55kw water pumps were damaged which were subsequently replaced with one emergency 37kw water pump. Due to the reduced capacity of the Masibekela scheme, the Nkomazi LM currently relies on the three 7ML concrete reservoirs that are on southern side of Mbangwane to store and supply water to the community.

The municipality reported that Ericsville has grown rapidly over the years and that the water supply status in the area is as follows:

• There are portions of Ericsville that are reticulated but are not receiving water on a daily basis due to damage sustained by the Masibekela water supply scheme in February 2023.
• The new extension of Ericsville where the 100 households are located, is not yet reticulated and is part of 10 other villages that are supplied by a 18 000L water tanker owned by the municipality.
• The bulk line that supplies reservoirs at Mbangwane also has illegal connections which also contribute to water shortages in Ericsville.
• There are plans for the municipality has plans to procure two more water tankers in the 2023/24 financial year as a short term measure to address water supply shortages.

The municipality also reported that it has received disaster funds R8 million to restore the pumpstation at Masibekela so that can operate at full capacity. While this will not eliminate water shortages for all the households in Ericsville, it will assist the communities that are reticulated to receive water more frequently.

The municipality indicated that it requires R740 million to implement long term interventions to upgrade the water treatment works, bulk and associated infrastructure to ensure the communities in Masibekela are supplied with water sustainably. The DWS will provide financial support of R90 million for reticulation projects in the municipality over the medium term through the Water Supply Infrastructure Grant. The municipality will have to apply to the DWS to access Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant funding for the upgrade of the Masibekela water supply scheme and associated bulk water infrastructure projects.

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Reply:

The roles of the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) are defined in the National Water Act and Water Services Act. DWS is the regulator of the sector, issues water use licenses, and has responsibilities relating to water resource planning and catchment management. Water provision to marginalised communities in municipalities is the responsibility of municipalities. However, the Department has a responsibility to support municipalities, this includes providing allocation to municipalities from the Water Services Infrastructure Grant (WSIG) and the Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant (RBIG).

The DWS engaged the Thembisile Local Municipality and they confirmed that the pipeline supplying Zakheni village was damaged by the floods for a period of three (3) to four (4) months which affected water supply. The status is reported as follows:

• The contractor was appointed, and repairs to the damaged pipeline were completed on 30 April 2023.
• Water has been restored in the area and is supplied on rationing scheduling.
• Other areas still receive water through the water tanks to augment the unconnected or unserved areas.
• The municipality is building a new reticulation pipeline.
• The long-term water supply plans for the area are as follows: The Thembisile Hani Local Municipality is supplied by Rand Water and the City of Tshwane based on agreed contracts as it does not have a dedicated water source to supply water to the residents of the municipality. The water supply contracts with Tshwane and Rand Water are under review to increase the current water supply.
• The community of KwaMhlanga and Zakheni will also benefit from the Loskop Bulk water supply scheme once it is completed. The anticipated completion of the project is planned for November 2024.

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Reply:

The Department has identified issues that need to be addressed and measures to be implemented for water security and effective water services management:

• Introducing more specific minimum requirements to operate water and sanitation services, to include this in an operating license. This will mean strengthening enforcement through directives and amending Section 63 of the Water Services Act - to follow a more effective approach used in the National Water Act, clearly defining what functions the WSP is accountable for, what to report on and performing, which will mean regulation amendments in order for the department to effectively intervene where there is non-compliance.

• Broadening of South Africa’s water resource mix is critical for water security as there are now limited opportunities for further surface water developments. Additional sources to surface water like groundwater; desalination of sea water; return flows from treated waste-water systems; reuse of other poor-quality water such as acid mine drainage must be explored. Timeous implementation of large-scale investment in all the above types of water resource development projects is required to ensure water security.

• The Department is continuously identifying delivery hotspots at provincial level through Ministerial visits and deliberations/consultations with Local Municipalities. The Department has intervened through the implementation of over 70 projects that have been identified as Ministerial Priority Actions to address hotspot areas across the country. In some Provinces, both Political and Technical Steering Committees have been established to engage and monitor progress of these interventions, with involvement of The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent (MISA), South African Local Government Association (SALGA), and the Water Boards.

• The Department is currently implementing a national programme to develop Five-Year Water and Sanitation Services Reliability Implementation plans at Water Services Authority level. These plans will look at the demographics of all areas, water and sanitation needs assessments, infrastructure functionality status, infrastructure refurbishment requirements, water security and governance issues. In consultation with all municipalities, this process will result in a comprehensive situational assessment of all water and sanitation services at community level and through the implementation of reliability principles a pipeline of projects being developed that will integrate all grant funding to specifically address the provision of reliable water and sanitation services.

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Reply:

1. The Department has issued Notices and Directives to the City of Tshwane (CoT) Metropolitan Municipality and the Department is currently engaging CoT to reach an agreement that will be approved by the Courts. This is yet to be finalised.

2. The Rooiwal Wastewater Treatment Works (WWTW) consists of three (3) works: Rooiwal North, Rooiwal West, and Rooiwal East. The biofilter effluent of Rooiwal West must be further treated by the activated sludge system of the Rooiwal North Works. Rooiwal East is biofilters with a separate effluent stream.

A project to upgrade the WWTW was started in 2008 and completed in 2012, with the following deliverables:

• Replacement of centrifugal blowers on the Rooiwal Northern Works.
• The replacement of return activated sludge (RAS) pumps at Rooiwal Northern Works.
• The structural refurbishment of 3 anaerobic digesters at Rooiwal Western Works.
• New mechanical and electrical equipment for anaerobic digesters at Rooiwal Western Works and EW.
• Extension of the sludge drying pans.
• SCADA for blowers and RAS pumps

3. Maintenance is being performed on all the infrastructure. Details of the dates and status of planned maintenance are enclosed in Annexure 1 attached.

Despite the above, Rooiwal WWTW is dysfunctional and under-capacitated. In June 2023, the Tshwane City Council voted R450 million for short-term repairs to the Rooiwal Waste Water Treatment Works and DWS, National Treasury, the DBSA and the City are in the process of developing a financing plan for the medium upgrading of the capacity of the Rooiwal Waste Water Treatment Works. This will involve the upgrading of the plant’s treatment capacity by 130 Ml of waste water per day (ML/day), coupled with desilting of sludge at the Leeukraal dam. The desilting of the dam will enable the Temba Water Treatment Works to function better and produce drinking water which meets minimum standards. The current capacity of the plant is 250 ML/day. The capacity will be increased to 380 ML/day. This will be sufficient to treat the current and future projected waste water load in Hammanskraal. The project is due to start in July 2024 and end in June 2026.

ANNEXURE 1

Rooiwal East and West Wastewater Treatment Works

Ref No.	AREA	Required Maintenance	Planned Start Date	Planned End Date	Estimated Costs	Status	Actual Costs (R)
		Rooiwal East WWTP
		Inlet Works
1.1	Screens	Service screen No. 1 and 2	10-Jan-23	28-Feb-23		Completed	804471.80
1.1.1	Screens	Repair screen no.1	Emergency	repairs		Completed	61238.94
1.1.2	Screens	Repair screen no.2	Emergency	repairs		Completed	62555.90
4	Grit Classifier	Repair Grit Classifier No. 2	01-Aug-22	30-Sept-22	366 000	Complete	295000.00
5.1	Degritter	Service Grit pump No.1 and 2	01-Sept-22	30-Sept-22	50 000	Complete	171892.88
6.1	Degritter	Service Grit scrapper No. 1 and 2	01-Nov-22	30-Nov-22	110 000	Complete	59190.51
6.1.1	Degritter	Remove sand from Degritter no.1 and 2	Emergency	repairs		Completed	65000.00
7	Degritter	Replace Grit scrapper rubbers	01-Nov-22	30-Nov-22		Complete	25000.00
		Primary Settling Tanks
10.1	PST	Remove sand from PST no.1 to 8	Emergency	repairs		Completed	1120838.39
11	Raw sludge sump	Service Fine screens No. 2	01-Sept-22	30-Jan-23		Completed	475737.93
12	Raw sludge sump	Service Fine screens No. 1	01-Mar-23	30-Mar-23		Screen removed for repair	475737.93
13.1	Raw sludge pump station	Repair Raw sludge pump no.2	Emergency	repairs		Completed	15930.40
		Rooiwal West WWTW
		Humus Pump Station
1.1.2	HPS	Repair Humus pump and motor	Emergency	repairs		Completed	134907.84
		Anaerobic Digesters
4	Anaerobic digesters	Service digested sludge pumps non-return valves	30-Oct-22	30-Oct-22		Complete	297402.82

Rooiwal North Wastewater Treatment Works

No.	AREA	Required Maintenance	Planned Start Date	Planned End Date	Estimated Costs	Status	Actual Costs
		Inlet Works
1.1	Inlet Works	Service screen No. 1	01-Jul-22	30-Jul-22		Completed	367227.89
1.2	Inlet Works	Service screen No. 2	01-Aug-22	30-Aug-22		Completed	367227.89
1.2a	Inlet Works	Repairs on Screen 2 and 3	Emergency	repairs		Completed	158017.82
3.1	Inlet Works	Service Conveyor belts	01-Oct-22	30-Oct-22		Complete	167816.92
4.1	Inlet Works	Repair Grit Classifier no.2 motor and gearbox	Emergency	repairs		Complete	160882.92
4.2	Inlet Works	Repair grit pump no.2	Emergency	repairs		Complete	49909.97
		Inlet Works
4.3	Inlet Works	Repair grit pumps x 4	Emergency	repairs		Complete	166336.56
		Primary Settling Tanks
5.1	PST	Remove sand PST 1	01-Sept-22	30-Sept-22		Complete	252359.20
5.2	PST	Remove sand PST 2	10-Jan-23	30-Jan-23		Complete	252359.20
5.3	PST	Remove sand PST 3	01-Apr-23	30-April-23		Complete	252359.20
7	PST	Refurbish PST Panel boxes	01-Oct-22	30-Oct-22		Service provider busy	121537.48
9.1	PST	Service PST 1 Rotating Bridge	01-Jul-22	30-Jul-22		Complete	28752.24
9.2	PST	Service PST 2 Rotating Bridge	01-Aug-22	30-Aug-22		Complete	15868.68
9.3	PST	Service PST 3 Rotating Bridge	01-Sept-22	30-Sept-22		Complete	31115.96
		BNR Reactors
15.1	Reactor 1	Repair leaks on gas pipes, main gas pipe actuator and gearbox	Emergency	repairs		Leaks closed, service provider still busy	548701.80
18	Reactor 3	Repair Internal Recirculation Pump x 1	01-Aug-22	30-Aug-22		Complete	29037.47
20.2a	Reactor 2	Repair Screw pump no.2 gearbox	Emergency	repair		Service provider busy with repairs	342833.84
		Blowers
24.1	Blowers 3	Quarterly maintenance	01-Sept-22	30-Sept-22		Service provider awaiting spares	442750.00
24.1a	Blowers	Repairs on Blowers main supply	Emergency	Repairs		Complete	407662.00
24.1b	Blowers	Repairs on Blower 2 and 5	Emergency	Repairs		Complete	115943.36
24.1c	Blowers	Repairs on Blower 5	Emergency	Repairs		Complete	68642.30
24.1d	Blowers	Repairs on electric panels of Blower 2,3,4,5 and 8	Emergency	Repairs		Complete	147193.46
24.4	Blowers 8	Quarterly maintenance	01-Dec-22	30-Dec-22		Busy with repairs	442750.00
24.6	Blowers 4	Quarterly maintenance	01-Feb-23	28-Feb-23		Service provider awaiting spares	442750.00
24.7	Blowers 5	Quarterly maintenance	01-Mar-23	30-Mar-23		Service provider awaiting spares	442750.00
24.9	Blowers 2	Quarterly maintenance	01-May-23	30-May-23		Service provider awaiting spares	442750.00
26	Blowers 1-9	Level 3 Electric Motor Preventative Maintenance	01-Aug-22	30-Aug-22	1 900 000	Included in quarterly maintenance quotations
		Clarifiers
29.1	Reactor 2 Clarifiers	Service Clarifier Rotating bridges	01-Sept-22	30-Sept-22		Complete	132000.00
29.1a	Reactor 2 Clarifiers	Repair Clarifier 2.6 Rotating bridge	Emergency	Repairs		Complete	19702.26
29.2a	Reactor 1 Clarifiers	Repair Clarifier1.4 Rotating bridge	Emergency	Repairs		Complete	19593.62
29.2b	Reactor 1 Clarifiers	Repair Clarifier 1.5 Rotating bridge	Emergency	Repairs		Complete	21540.98
29.3	Reactor 3 Clarifiers	Service Clarifier Rotating bridges	01-Nov-22	30-Nov-22		Complete	148048.78
29.3a	Reactor 3 Clarifiers	Repair Clarifier 3.3 and 3.5 Rotating bridges	Emergency	Repairs		Complete	22502.26
29.3b	Reactor 3 Clarifiers	Repair Clarifier 3.6 Rotating bridge	Emergency	Repairs		Complete	23048.95
29.3c	Reactor 3 Clarifier	Repair Clarifier 3.4 Rotating bridge	Emergency	Repairs		Complete	66000.00
30.1	Reactor 1 Clarifiers	Service tip valves	01-Dec-22	30-Dec-22	35 000	Serviced 1.1; 1.2 and 1.3	97365.28
31.1	Reactor 1 Clarifiers	Service bottom valves	01-Jul-22	30-Jul-22		Serviced 1.5 bottom valve	13435.24
31.2	Reactor 2 Clarifiers	Service bottom valves	01-Aug-22	30-Aug-22		Serviced 2.6 bottom valve	15645.80
		Dissolved Air Floatation Pump Station
32.1a	DAF Screen	Electrical repair on Rake screen	Emergency	Repairs		Complete	55307.38
33	DAF sump pumps	Service DAF Bypass pumps x 2	01-Sept-22	30-Sept-22		Serviced pump no.2	57633.29
33.1	DAF sump pumps	Repair DAF Bypass pumps no.1	Emergency	Repairs		Complete	116107.90
		Aerobic Digester
34.1	Aerobic pump station	Repair Sludge Pumps non-return valves x 2	Emergency	Repairs		Complete	138856.88
34.2	West Anaerobic Digesters	Repair Digested sludge pump	Emergency	Repairs		Complete	157607.86
34.3	West Humus Pump Station	Repair Humus sludge pumps	Emergency	Repairs		Complete	134907.84
34.4	West Farmers Pump Station	Repair Farmers pump motor	Emergency	Repairs		Complete	319711.90
35	Aerobic digester	Service Fine Screens x 2	01-Oct-22	30-Oct-22		Quotation for approval	726211.80
		Chlorination System
37	Chlorine building	Replace Chlorine pump no1 rotating unit	01-Jul-22	30-Jul-22		Complete	253416.00
Transformers
42.1	Transformers	Service of transformers	01-Sept-22	30-Sept-22		Complete	493141.80
Flow Meters
44.1	All Works	Calibrate flow meters	01-Sept-22	30-Sept-22		Complete	46946.40
Other Equipment
48	Bin trailers	Repair bin trailers x 3	01-Sept-22	30-Sept-22		1 x trailer repaired	3205.00
51	Grass Slasher	Repair grass slasher x 2	01-Oct-22	30-Oct-22	16 000	Complete
52	Computers	Repair computers x 3	01-Jul-22	30-Jul-22	47 000	Call logged with IT

Rooiwal Belt Filter Press Maintenance

No.	Area	Required Maintenance	Planned Start Date	Planned End Date	Estimated Costs	Status	Actual Costs
		Bottom Belt Presses
53	Press no. 5	Refurbish Belt press	01-Sept-22	30-Jan-23		Spares used to repair others 4 Belt Presses	860718.65
54	All Presses	Service	01-Jul-22	30-Jun-23	2 200 000
54.1	All Presses	Preventative maintenance	01-Jul-22	30-Aug-23		Complete	245477.60
54.2	Press no.2	Repair poly pump, actuator valve	Emergency	Repairs		Complete	368413.93
		Top Belt Presses
61.1	Press no. 4	Replace top and bottom belts	Emergency	Repairs		Complete	198172.96
61.2	All Presses	Preventative maintenance	01-Sept-22	30-Oct-23		Complete	334247.04
61.3	Top Belt Presses	Repair rear gate to Sludge Hopper	Emergency	Repairs		Complete	19840.57

Reply:

Water tanks are an interim measure employed by municipalities in areas where there is insufficient infrastructure and shortages of water supply through the water distribution system. This interim measure ensures availability of water to those affected communities as an alternative.

It is a costly exercise and should be properly managed by municipalities to ensure that these services are procured through a competitive bidding process. The key solution is proper operations and maintenance of the available infrastructure, to avoid water supply interruptions. The department is also supporting municipalities through its grants to fund refurbishment and upgrades, including the development of new infrastructure to meet the water demands efficiently, with proper water services to all.

All water sources or water services provided through tankers must be tested for acceptable water quality before being dispatched to the communities concerned. This water testing exercise should be conducted daily and consistently to ensure compliance with SANS on water quality. The norms and standards of the department prescribe that if traces of poor water quality are identified, the municipalities must immediately inform the communities.

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Reply:

MINISTER OF WATER AND SANITATION

a) Progress made towards the realignment of water boards is indicated in Annexure A below.

b) The reconfiguration of the Water Boards was intended to improve financial sustainability, extend services to areas that are not currently serviced and address institutional confusion caused by having multiple Water Boards serving the same area.

The Minister initiated the reconfiguration of Water Boards to:

• Strengthen the capacity and capability of the entities in Provinces (leveraging on existing technical skills)
• Improve and enhance institutional efficiencies and rationalise the number of institutions in the water sector to ensure economies of scale,
• Maintain financial viability and enhance the ability to raise capital from the market for infrastructure projects.
• The Department has reviewed the Water Boards in terms of financial sustainability, servicing areas that are not currently serviced and institutional confusion caused by having multiple Water Boards serving the same area.

The Minister initiated the reconfiguration of Water Boards to:

• Strengthen the capacity and capability of the entities in Provinces (leveraging on existing technical skills)
• Improve and enhance institutional efficiencies and rationalise the number of institutions in the water sector to ensure economies of scale,
• Maintain financial viability and enhance the ability to raise capital from the market for infrastructure projects.

c) The provinces in the Republic have been most affected by the realignment process are indicated in Annexure A.

d) Timelines that have been set for the completion of the reconfiguration processes are indicated in Annexure A.

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ANNEXURE A

(a) Progress made with realignment of Water Boards	(c) Affected areas and/or regions	(d) Timeline and milestones
Disestablishment of Sedibeng Water	Free State, North West and Northern Cape	February 2022 to 1 August 2022
Sedibeng Water was disestablished in July 2022. The assets and liabilities in the North West were transferred to Magalies Water and the Free State and Northern Cape assets and liabilities were transferred to Bloem Water as of 1 August 2022.
Sedibeng Water was delisted as a schedule 3B of the Public Finance Management Act, 1999 (Act No 1 of 1999) (PFMA).		28 Mach 2023
Reconfiguration of Bloem Water	Free State and Northern Cape	1 August 2022 to July 2023
Bloem Water services the entire Free State and Northern Cape and has taken over the staff, assets and liabilities from Sedibeng with effect from 01 Aug 2022.
The Gazette Notice for comments to be published for thirty (30) days outlining the intention to change the name of Bloem Water to Vaal Central Water Board was published
Final Gazette to change the name of Bloem Water to Vaal Central Water Board to be published
Reconfiguration of Umgeni & Mhlathuze	Kwa-Zulu Natal	July 2022 to 01 July 2023
The Minister consulted with the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government in terms of Section 28 of the Water Services Act, 1997 (Act No. 108 of 1997).
Minister published the Gazette Notice for thirty (30) days to change the name Umgeni Water to uMngeni-uThukela Water with effect from 01 July 2023.		19 June 2023
Minister published a final gazette notice extending the boundary of Umgeni Water to include Mhlathuze Water to form a single Water Board in the KwaZulu-Natal Province, disestablish Mhlathuze Water, the transfer of staff, assets and liabilities to uMngeni-uThukela Water with effect from 01 July 2023		19 June 2023
Advert calling for nominations for a new Board Members for the single Water Board in KwaZulu-Natal (uMngeni-uThukela Water) published		25 June 2023
Rand Water boundary to be extended to cover Mpumalanga and Gauteng Province	Gauteng and Mpumalanga	October 2022 to March 2024
The Minister published a Gazette Notice on 28 November 2022 in terms of Section 28(1) of the WSA for sixty (60) days outlining his intentions to extend the service area of Rand Water to Provide Bulk Water Services to the entire Mpumalanga Province.
Final due diligence is due on October 2023
Lepelle boundary will be extended to cover the entire Limpopo Province.	Limpopo	October 2022 to January 2024
High level desktop due diligence analysis is due by end of September 2023
Gazette notice to be published on the extension to cover Limpopo Province.
Transfer of Rand Water’s asset in Rustenburg from Rand Water to Magalies Water and transfer of Magalies Water assets to Rand Water	Gauteng and North West	July 2022 to December 2023
Final due Diligence is due on September 2023
Amatola Water Board will be extended to cover the entire Eastern Cape Province.	Eastern Cape	October 2022 to December 2023
The Minister published a Gazette Notice on 14 November 2022 in terms of Section 28(1) of the WSA for sixty (60) days outlining intentions to extend the service area of Amatola Water to cover the entire Eastern Cape Province.
High level desktop due diligence analysis is due by end of September 2023
Overberg Water Board will be extended to cover the entire Western Cape Province	Western Cape	November 2022 to December 2023
The Minister published a Gazette Notice on 3 November 2022 in terms of Section 28(1) of the WSA for sixty (60) days outlining intentions to extend the service area of Overberg Water to cover the entire Western Cape Province.
High level desktop due diligence analysis is due by end of September 2023

Reply:

 

MINISTER OF WATER AND SANITATION

The table below provides breakdown of the procurement allocation for the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) main account, and Water Trading Entity (WTE):

Entity	Procurement budget allocations/ Goods and services budget	(i) small-medium- and micro-enterprises inclusive of (ii) cooperatives, (iii) township enterprises (iv) rural enterprises
DWS	2021/22	EME 2021/22 23.84% QSE 2021/22 29.65%
	2023/24	EME for the month of April 2023: 21.30% QSE for the month of April 2023: 9%
WTE	2021/22	EME 2021/22 36 % QSE 2021/22 14 %
	2023/24	EME for the month of April 2023: 19.80% QSE for the month of April 2023: 23.32%

*QSE – Qualifying Small Enterprises *EME – Exempt Micro Enterprise

The table below provides breakdown of procurement spending for Entities reporting to the Ministry of Water and Sanitation. It is important to note that there is not set aside Policy in Government in relation to entities. Water Boards procurement budget for financial year 2021/22 was over R7 billion, whereas the expenditure for the year under review is more than R3 billion spent on small-medium- and micro-enterprises which is more than 45%. Water boards financial year 2022/23 information provided for Quarter 1 - 3 where one quarter is still to be reported.

Entity	Procurement budget allocations/ Goods and services budget (Procurement Spend)	(i) small-medium- and micro-enterprises	% expenditure
Amatola Water	2021/22	R341 831 000 00	R179 034 721	52%
	2022/23 (Q1 to Q3)	R338 475 000 00	R58 636 363	17%
Bloem Water	2021/22	R 654 691 452.40	R327 345 726	50%
	2022/23 (Q1 to Q3)	R 405 108 729.98	R189 820 724	49%
Magalies Water	2021/22	R43 202 395,00	R25 375 240	59%
	2022/23 (Q1 to Q3)	R56 110 892	R43 563 827	78%
Mhlathuze Water	2021/22	R81 200 512	R72 539 878	89%
	2022/23 (Q1 to Q3)	R92 480 611	R84 279 883	91%
Lepelle Northern Water	2021/22	R86 178 147	R84 924 548	99%
	2022/23 (Q1 to Q3)	R121 537 981	R109 000 283	90%
Overberg Water	2021/22	R38 196 000	R18 817 984	49%
	2022/23 (Q1 to Q3)	R43 306 845	R14 486 033	33%
Rand Water	2021/22	R3 944 513 179	R1 626 145 171	41%
	2022/23 (Q1 to Q3)	R2 84 501 288	R1 337 017 292	47%
Umgeni Water	2021/22	R1 937 886 136	R 842 676 591	43%
	2022/23 (Q1 to Q3)	R2 471 551 556	R 1 201 835 802	48%

Reply:

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) and Nkomazi Local Municipality (LM) conducted a site inspection at 2ML reservoir in Ka-Hhoyi area. It was established that the concrete reservoir was leaking at the bottom. The Municipality indicated that a contractor will soon be appointed to inspect and repair the leaking reservoirs and several other water storages within the jurisdiction of Nkomazi LM.

The Municipality reported that a visual structural assessment was conducted to water storages within the jurisdiction and the report is in possession of the Municipality. Currently the Municipality advertised tender for the refurbishment of the water storages, which closed on the 24th of April 2023. The procurement process for appointment is planned to be concluded before end of September 2023. The project is funded by Nkomazi Local Municipality and the ward 11 water storage is one of the infrastructures that will benefit from the programme.

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Reply:

The table below provides breakdown of the procurement allocation for the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) main account, and Water Trading Entity (WTE):

Entity	Procurement budget allocations/ Goods and services budget	(i) small-medium- and micro-enterprises inclusive of (ii) cooperatives, (iii) township enterprises (iv) rural enterprises
DWS	2021/22	EME 2021/22 23.84% QSE 2021/22 29.65%
	2023/24	EME for the month of April 2023: 21.30% QSE for the month of April 2023: 9%
WTE	2021/22	EME 2021/22 36 % QSE 2021/22 14 %
	2023/24	EME for the month of April 2023: 19.80% QSE for the month of April 2023: 23.32%

*QSE – Qualifying Small Enterprises *EME – Exempt Micro Enterprise

The table below provides breakdown of procurement spending for Entities reporting to the Ministry of Water and Sanitation. It is important to note that there is not set aside Policy in Government in relation to entities. Water Boards procurement budget for financial year 2021/22 was over R7 billion, whereas the expenditure for the year under review is more than R3 billion spent on small-medium- and micro-enterprises which is more than 45%. Water boards financial year 2022/23 information provided for Quarter 1 - 3 where one quarter is still to be reported

 

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Reply:

The Board of the Amatola Water had 12 meetings and 10 special board meetings, in the past 12 months. The prescribed number of meetings per year is six (6).

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Reply:

The Department of Water and Sanitation is not aware of any dysfunctionality which exists within the Amatola Water Board.

Any allegations that are brought to the attention of the Minister, that involves the Water Boards, are investigated, and addressed accordingly.

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Reply:

 

The water crisis in Cradock does not emanate from a source problem. The Fish River has an average flow of 26m³/s which consists of water being transferred via the Orange Fish transfer scheme.

The challenges experienced in Cradock are attributable mainly to a lack of functionality of water and sanitation services infrastructure, which is further exacerbated by load shedding. During long loadshedding, not enough raw water can be pumped to the Water Treatment Works (WTWs). Chris Hani District Municipality as Water Services Authority has put mitigations in place to respond to the challenges. The table below summarises challenges within Cradock and interventions/ mitigations in place to address them:

Table1: Water and Sanitation challenges

Challenges	Mitigations
Frequent sewer spillages Pipe burst and water leaks Water interruptions Meter leaks	Use of backup generator Water carting to supply water Water rationing Construction of inline screen in Lingelihle Deployed jetting machine to unblock sewer mains Funding approved to address sewer spillages Funding is approved for consultant to develop Cradock Bulk Water Infrastructure Upgrade Plan.

Extended water interruption or shortages in Cradock due to non-functional or damaged water processing units are mainly affecting Hillside and Bersig areas. Measures to address this include the upgrade of Cradock bulk water infrastructure, funded through Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG). Consultants have been appointed to plan for this upgrade. A service provider has also been appointed to repair the raw water pump at Geelbooi and install a required protection control panel at Cradock WTW.

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Reply:

 

MINISTER OF WATER AND SANITATION

1. The Department has built 10 new dams since 1995.

1. Details pertaining to the new dams are summarized in Table 1 below:

No	Name of the dam	Completion	Location	Nearest Town	(ii) Capacity (m3)	(iii) Cost (ZAR)*
1.	De Hoop Dam	2006	Lat: 24º 54’ 33,7”	Steelpoort	347 400 000	3,4 Billion
			Long: 19º 3’22,2”
2.	Berg River Dam	2007	Lat: 24º 57’ 26,9”	Franshoek	130 000 000	1,5 Billion
			Long: 29º 57’ 24,5”
3.	Spring Groove Dam	2013	Lat: 29º 19’ 8,4”	Rosetta	139 500 000	582 million
			Long: 29º 57’ 56,6”
4.	Qedusizi Dam	1998	Lat: 28º 32’ 31”	Ladysmith	0	273,5 million
			Long: 29º 44’ 41”
5.	Injaka Dam	2001	Lat: 24º 53’ 5,9”	Hazyview	125 027 000	635 million
			Long: 31º 5’ 2,5”
6.	Nandoni Dam	2005	Lat: 22º 58’ 50”	Thohoyandou	164 000 000	813 million
			Long: 30º 35’ 52”
7.	Ludeke Dam	2014	Lat: 30º 44’ 37,6”	Bizana	14 500 000	191,6 million
			Long: 29º 44’ 46,6”
8.	Bizana Dam	1997	Lat: 24º 54’ 33,7”	Bizana	95 000	7,5 million
			Long: 19º 3’ 22,2”
9.	Modjadi Dam	1997	Lat: 23º 35’ 8”	Musina	1 860 000	67,5 million
			Long: 30º 20’ 59”
10.	Botterkloof Dam	2002	Lat: 29º 19’ 8,4”	Clarens	600 000	15,9 million
			Long: 29º 57’ 56,6”

* Figures are rounded off

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Reply:

 

1. The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) conducts Blue Drop assessments for all Water Services Authorities (WSAs) in the Republic by measuring all aspects contributing to a sustainable Water Services Business, and provision of safe water to citizens.

Water Services Authorities (WSAs) are obliged to ensure that their residents have access to safe drinking water that is compliant with the required standards of SANS 241. The Department is strengthening its role as the regulator of water services, by developing more comprehensive and more stringent norms and standards for water service and standardising its regulatory processes so that it is more consistent with its regulatory actions. It is also intensifying its support and intervention in municipalities. In addition, DWS is drafting amendments to the Water Services Act to separate the roles of Water Services Authorities more clearly (ensure that water services are provided to required standards) and Water Services Providers (provide the services) and to enable the Minister to intervene more effectively as the Regulator.

(2) The Department is intensifying monitoring of drinking water as well as water resources across the country in order to detect any failures and alert WSAs to implement recommendations or instructions.

(3) The Department is in collaboration with the World Health Organisation, and the Departments of Government Communication and Information Systems (GCIS), Basic Education (DBE), and local councillors executing health promotion programmes in the Hammanskraal area and across the Republic. During the release of the Green Drop and Watch Reports, and the media briefing on Hammanskraal, the emphasis was also placed on preventive measures of good hygiene practices and sourcing safe water.

(4) The Department is strengthening its support and regulatory intervention at municipal level based on actual data which ensures that interventions are proactive, consistent, and systematic in their approach.

The DWS funds certain refurbishment and upgrading projects that meet the criteria of the Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant (RBIG) and Water Services Infrastructure Grant (WSIG), depending on availability of funds. WSAs, through their Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) allocation for water and sanitation, also have funding allocated for refurbishment of water systems.

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Reply:

 

To date, 26 out of 37 appointments of contractors have been concluded by the Implementing Agent of the project, the Mopani District Municipality. Progress is indicated in the table below:

ITEM	VILLAGE NAME - PROJECT	PROGRESS
1	Bambeni Reticulation – Pipeline D	75%
2	Homu 14A Reticulation – Pipeline B	47%
3	Ngove Reticulation Contract B – Pipeline D	43%
4	Skhunyani Reticulation Contract B – Pipeline D2	05%
5	Bode Reticulation Contract B – Pipeline D2	06%
6	Makoxa Reticulation Contract A – Pipeline F1	35%
7	Maswanganyi Reticulation Contract A – Pipeline D2	02%
8	Kamninginisi Block 2 Reticulation – Pipeline F2	05%
9	Muyexe Reticulation – Pipeline F2	24%
10	Dzingidzingi Reticulation – Pipeline D2	05%
11	Xikukwane Reticulation Contract C – Pipeline F1	Site establishment
12	Mhlaba Willem Reticulation – Pipeline F2	25%
13	Risinga View Reticulation Contract A – Pipeline F1	05%
14	Nwakhuwani Reticulation – Pipeline B	05%
15	Makoxa Reticulation Contract B – Pipeline F1	05%
16	Gawula Reticulation – Pipeline A	05%
17	Vuhehli Reticulation – Pipeline B	04%
18	Homu 14 B – Pipeline B	03%
19	Muyexe Reticulation Contract B – Pipeline F2	05%
20	Mageva Reticulation Contract A -Pipeline D	05%
21	Mahlathi Reticulation – Pipeline A	04%
22	Mapayeni Contract A – Pipeline B	03%
23	Maswanganyi Contract B – Pipeline D2	Site establishment
24	Xikukwani Contract A – Pipeline F1	04%
25	Risinga View Contract B – Pipeline 1	Site establishment
26	Xikukwani Contract B – Pipeline F1	Site establishment

*

Reply:

 

 

(1)(a) There are currently no new dams under construction. Current projects such as the raising of Tzaneen and Clanwilliam dams, are upgrades of existing dams.

(2)(a) The following 8 new dams that are being planned for construction in the foreseeable future:

1. Nwamitwa Dam
2. Lusikisiki Regional Water Supply Scheme - Zalu Dam
3. Coerney Dam
4. Foxwood Dam
5. Mzimvubu Water Project (Stage 2) - Ntabelanga Dam
6. uMkhomazi Water Project Phase 1 - Dam at Smithfield
7. Cwabeni Off-Channel Storage Dam
8. Stephen Dlamini Dam

(2)(b) The details pertaining to the planned dams are as follows:

Name of Dam	Location	Capacity
Nwamitwa Dam	Limpopo Province	87 million m3
Lusikisiki Regional Water Supply Scheme - Zalu Dam	Eastern Cape Province	17.3 million m3
Coerney Dam	Eastern Cape Province	4.69 million m3
Foxwood Dam	Eastern Cape Province	55 million m3
Mzimvubu Water Project (Stage 2) - Ntabelanga Dam	Eastern Cape Province	490 million m3
uMkhomazi Water Project Phase 1 - Dam at Smithfield	KwaZulu-Natal Province	251.4 million m3
Cwabeni Off-Channel Storage Dam	KwaZulu-Natal Province	15.5 million m3
Stephen Dlamini Dam	KwaZulu-Natal Province	9.78 million m3

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Reply:

a)  The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) is responsible for bulk water supply in the country and plays role of regulator of water and sanitation services and water resources. In the event of municipal failures, the DWS provides support to municipalities as Water Service Authorities and providers who grapple with sewage spillages. There are interventions in place to provide relief to the residents of (i) Dikgatlong, (ii) Sol Plaatje and (iii) Magareng in the Northern Cape summarised in the table below:

Local Municipality	Challenges	Intervention	Total Project Cost
Dikgatlong	Blockages in sewer lines and manholes (in cases by foreign material into sewer systems) Dysfunctional pumpstations and loadshedding interruptions Barkley West WWTW is partially functional.	The Barkley West Wastewater Treatment Works (WWTW) was recently refurbished along with the pumpstations DWS is currently funding the Dikgatlong construction of VIP’s Construction of the Windsorton-Holpan bulk water supply. Upgrading of the Barkly West WWTW. This project is still in a planning stage.	R 47 009 295
Sol Plaatje	Blockages in sewer lines and manholes (in cases by foreign material into sewer systems) Dysfunctional pumpstations Homevale WWTW is partially functional Poor operation and maintenance of sewer infrastructure Refurbishment and maintenance required was not within municipal financial capabilities.	DWS is funding the construction of the Carters Ridge outfall sewer line and sewer pump station. Refurbishment of the Homevale WWTW Replaced the Gogga pumpstation to Homevale sewer outfall pipeline Refurbishment of the Gogga pumpstation	R 57 366 501
Magareng	Waterlogging in areas due to blockages in sewer lines and manholes Poor operation and maintenance of sewer infrastructure Notices and Directives only partially effective	DWS provided funding emergency repair works to the Warrenton WWTW and surrounding sewer pump stations Refurbishment of the inlet works, aeration basin, clarifier, maturation ponds, chlorine, WAS / RAS pump station, auxiliary electrical works, sludge drying beds, flood lighting and vacuum pump station. Refurbishment of the Ikhutseng and Warrenval pump stations	R 48 911 542

b) It is the responsibility of the municipalities to provide proper sanitation services and a healthy environment. The Department regulates through the Green Drop best practise system and investigates non-compliance through administrative enforcement. Wherever necessary, DWS also provides funding and support to municipalities that apply for available grants earmarked for addressing water services infrastructure challenges.

c) Department ensures protection of water resources, which can be achieved by initiating rectification measures against the identified non-complaint water users and polluters. When municipalities fail in their mandate to ensure compliance in terms of wastewater and effluent spillages, various legal frameworks can be initiated to address the contraventions. In instances where a water user fails to comply with any of the license conditions, the Department first exercises administrative enforcement actions in the form of Notices and Directives in accordance with the National Water Act. This is meant to afford the water users an opportunity to rectify non-compliances within certain timeframes.

When users are non-responsive, the Department proceeds with either or both criminal and civil enforcement actions. Criminal sanctions can also be instituted against the municipalities guided by Criminal Procedure Act on violations related to wastewater and effluent spillages. Section 151 of the National Water Act provides legal basis for laying of criminal charges against the municipalities that are intentionally or negligently pollute water resources or engage in unlawful water usage. Offenses under Section 151 of the National Water Act can be used to address pollution of water resources, making it a criminal offense to discharge pollutants into water resources without the necessary authorisation

d) Support is provided through health and hygiene awareness campaigns, and financial support through the WSIG and the RBIG. The administrative enforcement requires rehabilitation of impacted areas. Where municipalities fail to rectify and rehabilitate, the Department can take legal action.

 

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Reply:

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) regularly conducts inspections and audits on the operation and maintenance of the Wastewater Treatment Works (WWTWs) in all Water Services Institution (WSIs) within the Free State. The inspections aim to assess whether WWTWs are operated and maintained in a manner that does not pose risks of pollution resulting in contamination of water resources and increasing risks to human health and the environment.

There are seven (7) WWTWs owned by Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality serving Bloemfontein area. From these WWTWs, three (3) are operational, three (3) are partially operational and one is non-operational. The three operational and three partially operational WWTWs discharge wastewater which is not compliant to the General Limits for wastewater, and therefore there is potential to pollute water resources and the environment. The 2022 Green Drop report has found two WWTWs to be at a critical state, while the remaining five are at a very poor state. The table below provides details on the status of the 7 WWTWs:

Wastewater Treatment Works (WWTW)	Operational Status	Detailed operational information
Bloemdustria	Operational	Poor operation and maintenance practices Plant does not discharge, however there are no boreholes to monitor ground water pollution No operational flow meters
Bainsvlei	Partially Operational	No operational degritter at inlet works One sludge recycle pump not in operation No operational process monitoring done Sludge lagoons overgrown with weeds No disinfection of final effluent before release Poor operation and maintenance practices No operational flow meters
Bloemspruit	Partially Operational	WWTW consists of 3 parallel modules. Only modules 1 and 3 are partially operational. Module 2 is completely out of operation One mechanical screen non-functional 2 out of 3 screw pumps are operational Only 1 primary settling tank of 6 from module 1 is operational Only 2 primary settling tanks of 6 from module 3 are operational Blocked nozzles at Bio-Filter rotating arms. 3 humus tanks of 4 out of operation for module 1 6 Humus tanks of 8 is out of operation for module 3 No disinfection prior to discharge Sludge drying beds not in operation and overgrown. Flow meters not operational
Sterkwater	Non-Operational	WWTWs completely non-Functional due to cable theft and poor operations. Raw wastewater is diverted to the storm water channel close to Renoster Spruit
Northern Works WWTW	Operational	Disinfection of final effluent is not consistent
North-eastern	Partially Operational	Degritter not operational 2 of 3 screw pumps not operational 2 of 3 automatic screens not operational Defuse aerators not all operational Mixers 5 and 8 out of operation Unavailability of primary settling tanks cause solids to carry over to the activated sludge process. Sludge lagoons full of sludge and discharging premature super natant water. Lack of sludge dry beds to dry sludge. No final water disinfection. No operational flow meters
Welvaart	Operational	The WWTW was just restored to functionality in June 2023

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Reply:

The Rooiwal Waste Water Treatment Works in Hammanskraal does not have sufficient capacity to deal with the amount of sewage flowing into it and has not been well-maintained for many years. The inadequately effluent from the Rooiwal Waste Water (sewage) Treatment Works is polluting the Apies River which flows into the Leeukraal Dam from which water is abstracted by the City’s Temba Water Treatment Works, which provides water to Hammanskraal residents. The Temba Water Treatment Works is supposed to clean the raw water abstracted from the dam and treat it so that it is fit for human consumption. However, the water in the dam is so polluted that the Temba Water Treatment Works is not able to treat the water such that is meets the required standards for drinking water. Hence the people of Hammanskraal have not been having a reliable or safe supply of drinking water for many years.

Since 2011, DWS has taken numerous regulatory actions (non-compliance notices and directives) against the City for it to stop the pollution of water resources in the area from its Rooiwal Waste Water Treatment Works. Since 2019, the Department has been engaged in legal action against the City for a court order to instruct the City to address the issue.

It is possible that the cholera outbreak which started in Hammanskraal in Tshwane is related to the pollution of water sources in the area from the Rooiwal Waste Water Treatment Works. An investigation is underway into the source or sources of the cholera outbreak. Technical teams from the Department of Water and Sanitation, and the provincial and national Department of Health as well as relevant municipalities are carrying out water quality tests at distribution points and at water treatment works in areas in Hammanskraal where people have become infected. They are also engaged in tracking and tracing of infections. Cholera has not yet been identified through the tests. The Water Research Commission has also commissioned a verification of the DWS and CoT tests as well as independent tests, the results of which should be available shortly. It is important to note that cholera is not only spread through polluted water – it is also spread through poor hygiene, eating contaminated food or by coming into contact with the faeces of an infected person. To date, the original source of the cholera infection has not been located.

The City has warned the residents of Hammanskraal) not to drink the water from the Temba water treatment works (which is the water coming out of taps in Hammanskraal) and is supplying them with drinking water from tankers. The water tankers abstract water from Magalies Water and Rand Water sources, which is compliant with drinking water standards.

In the light of the cholera outbreak it is imperative that the repair and upgrade of the Rooiwal WWTW be dealt with as a matter of national urgency. DWS does not have voted funds to provide to Metros for water and sanitation. Metropolitan municipalities are supposed to use a portion of their USDG grant to supplement their own budget allocations for water and sanitation.

DWS has estimated the cost of a full rehabilitation and upgrade of the Rooiwal WWTW over the next three financial years to be in the region of R4 billion. The project can be implemented in stages, with an emphasis on work to stop or reduce the pollution from Rooiwal in the early stages.

The Mayor and the City have indicated that the City does not have the capacity on its own to address the sanitation challenges, nor does it have sufficient funds to address the challenges timeously on its own. The Mayor has also indicated that the City’s SCM processes are corrupted.

In this context, the CoT, DWS and National Treasury have recently agreed that:

• The DWS and the City will partner together to jointly manage a project to fix the Rooiwal WWTW in Hammanskraal.
• Tshwane will contribute a portion of its USDG allocation. Council approval for R450 million to be allocated over the MTEF has been granted.
• The DBSA will be appointed by CoT as the implementing agent for the project.
• A financial task team consisting of NT, DWS, the City and DBSA has been put in place to develop a financing plan for the project. Various options are being considered, including but not limited to, increasing the City’s contribution from its USDG allocation, shifting funds from other grants, and DBSA loan finance.

DWS and the City will have formed a joint technical steering committee to oversee the project.

In the short-term, an alternative drinking water source will be put in place by Magalies Water for Hammanskraal through the emergency construction of a 30-40 Ml/day package-plant at Klipgaart WTW. The plant will provide drinking water in the Hammanskraal water distribution system. The Package Plant will be implemented in a phased approach with 10Ml/day at a time. The units will be in place starting from October 2023 at Klipgaart WTW and will be completed by March 2024.

In the meatime, CoT will continue with mobile water tankering services for Hammerskraal residents, from designated water filling points, with regular testing of water provider from tankers. Community structures will be requested to participate in a structure with the City to monitor the tankers and testing of water from the tankers.

The repair and upgrading of the Rooiwal will be implemented in phases which will be run concurrently, between September 2023 and June 2026. The upgrading will result in an increase in the capacity of Rooiwal from 250 ML/day to 380 ML/day.

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Reply:

The Department of Water and Sanitation has held numerous engagements with Rand Water and the municipalities within Gauteng, wherein municipalities were requested to present their plans to mitigate against the water supply challenges in the province and to implement turn-around strategies.

The DWS has advised Rand Water and municipalities to develop projections of future demand and implement infrastructure development programmes to cater for growing demand. The following will be prioritised by all municipalities in Gauteng to mitigate water supply challenges:

• Reduction of water losses by addressing illegal connections in formal settlement areas where water theft is occurring
• Regularisation of authorized unbilled consumptions in areas such as informal settlements
• Reduction and control of unplanned human settlements in various municipal areas.
• Implementation of Water Conservation and Demand Management (WCDM) measures to reduce demand.
• Construction of additional spare storage capacity through construction of additional reservoirs.

The DWS has undertaken the implementation and acceleration of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project II to augment water supply to the Gauteng Province through the Integrated Vaal River System (IVRS). The target date for completion of this project and associated infrastructure is December 2027

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Reply:

There have been numerous projects over the last few years to investigate the feasibility of utilising Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) as a possible source of potable and/or grey water to add to the current water available to the Gauteng Province.

The objective, and one of the recommendations from the report: “Feasibility Study for a Long-Term Solution to Address the Acid Mine Drainage Associated with The East, Central and West Rand Underground Mining Basins, 2013" completed by Trans-Caledon Tunnel Agency, was to utilise the partially treated AMD from the three basins to potable standard to supplement the Vaal System.

Various technologies as well as alternative uses for AMD have been scrutinised and a report detailing the outcome and recommendations on how the Long-Term Solution should be implemented has been reviewed and will be released in the current financial year. Some of the options being considered include

1. Treating AMD effluent to potable standard and irrigation with mine water (treated and untreated).
2. Irrigation of crops using gold mine impacted waters as a Long-Term sustainable solution for mine water from the Witwatersrand Basins. In terms of this, a pilot project is being implemented under the guidance of the Water Research Commission and run by the University of Pretoria, is currently underway in the East Rand (Springs) and the results thereof will be released in due course.

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Reply:

The eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality has reported that it is providing communities the in Cato Crest informal areas with different types of sanitation services. In the informal settlement areas, the municipality is providing communities with Community Ablution Blocks (communal ablution facilities providing full waterborne sanitation) as well as portable chemical toilets in areas where CABs cannot be constructed due to there being no water borne wastewater infrastructure or when the relocation of families to formal housing structures is imminent.

Further to this, the eThekwini Metro has reported that the municipality is not aware of the 30 families that are sharing one pit toilet in the Cato Crest informal area. However, should the municipality be assisted to identify the families mentioned in the question, they can be assisted through the municipality’s existing programmes for sanitation services for informal settlements areas in the form of chemical toilets as a short-term intervention and Community Ablution Blocks as a medium-term solution that can be completed within a period of six months.

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Reply:

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) engaged the Thembisile Local Municipality and they confirmed that the pipeline supplying Zakheni village was damaged by the floods for a period of three (3) to four (4) months which affected water supply. The status is reported as follows:

• The contractor was appointed, and repairs to the damaged pipeline were completed on 30 April 2023.
• Water has been restored in the area and is supplied on rationing scheduling.
• Other areas still receive water through the water tanks to augment the unconnected or unserved areas.
• The municipality is building a new reticulation pipeline.

• The long-term water supply plans for the area are as follows:The Thembisile Hani Local Municipality is supplied by Rand Water and the City of Tshwane based on agreed contracts as it does not have a dedicated water source to supply water to the residents of the municipality. The water supply contracts with Tshwane and Rand Water are under review to increase the current water supply.
• The community of KwaMhlanga and Zakheni will also benefit from the Loskop Bulk water supply scheme once it is completed. The anticipated completion of the project is planned for November 2024.

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Reply:

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) regularly conducts inspections and audits on the operation and maintenance of the Wastewater Treatment Works (WWTWs) in all Water Services Institution (WSIs) in the Free State, including Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality (MMM). The inspections aim to assess whether WWTWs are operated and maintained in a manner that does not pose risks of pollution resulting in contamination of water resources and increasing risks to human health and the environment.

The Sterkwater WWTW was operational even though there were some issues owing to poor maintenance of the plant. In July 2022 it was discovered that the WWTW is in a dilapidated state. DWS then conducted detailed investigations and found that theft of electrical cables has rendered the core process units of the WWTW non-operational. Following this initial investigation, a non-compliance letter dated 03 October 2022 was issued to the municipality. The Municipality did not respond to the non-compliance letter with an action plan to address the problems.

DWS conducted routine inspections at the WWTW again in January 2023, which found that the WWTW was still non-operational and the sewage from the inlet works was being diverted to the stormwater channel. DWS sent follow up correspondence in March 2023 regarding the poor conditions of the Sterkwater WWTW.

The DWS will proceed with administrative enforcement, thereby issuing a Notice for intention to issue a directive in June 2023, following the Mangaung Municipality’s failure to respond to the non-compliance letters issued. Although the municipality has not responded officially in writing to DWS letters, municipal officials indicated that Mangaung received a Special Grant from National Treasury to address the Sterkwater WWTW challenges, and the following measures are in place to restore its functionality:

• The municipality has stripped the electric motors and other electric and mechanical equipment that need repairs to determine the work to be done for restoration of the equipment.
• Electric cables have been ordered.
• The security company has been appointed to render armed response to protect the new cables to be installed.
• The plant should be running in the next three months.

 

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Reply:

a) The Department is aware of the water supply interruptions in Rustenburg Local Municipality. Seven urgent notices were issued by the municipality on between February and May 2023 informing consumers of the expected water shortages owing to load shedding and routine maintenance which resulted in Water Treatment Plants not operating optimally and water supply interruptions. The municipality had reported a 40% reduction at the Vaalkop system which has since recovered and is back at 100% supply. However, the Bospoort system is still operating at an average of 85-90% supply.

The supply of treated effluent from the Rustenburg Wastewater Treatment Works to Anglo American and Impala Platinum mines was authorised in the water use authorisations for the mines as a way of promoting the re-use of grey water. At no point is the treated effluent pumped to any water supply reservoirs.

b) The municipality began implementing a Water Demand Management Strategy in October 2022 as a mitigation measure. Based on the strategy, water supply is isolated and rotated to specific areas at a time and a schedule has been issued detailing the supply times for different areas.

The municipality has requested Eskom to exempt the Bospoort Water Treatment Works (WTW) from load shedding to mitigate water supply challenges, the request was approved for Stage 2 loadshedding.

In addition, a back-up generator has been leased by the municipality as a preliminary measure. The municipality has indicated that the long-term plan is to solution to water supply interruptions caused by loadshedding to isolate the transformer supplying electricity to the Bospoort WTW to exempt the plant from loadshedding.

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Reply:

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) currently has numerous interventions being implemented across the various municipalities within the Mpumalanga Province. The table below provides information in interventions for the municipalities including Emalahleni Local Municipality, Emakhazeni Local Municipality, Dr J S Moroka Local Municipality, Victor Khanye Local Municipality, Lekwa Local Municipality, Dipaliseng Local Municipality, and the Steve Tshwete Local Municipality.

	Local Municipality	Intervention	Objective	Anticipated date of completion
a	Emalahleni	DWS has Infrastructure Development Management (IDM) relating to Water Conservation Demand Management (WCDM)	Water Conservation and Demand Management	Ongoing
b	Emakhazeni	DWS provided financial assistance for the construction of sewer outfall, upgrading and refurbishment of Madala Sewer Main Line and Emgwenya WasteWater Treatment Works	To improve the quality of treated effluent discharged into the water resource (Inkomati catchment for Mngwenya & Olifants catchment for Belfast) and prevent the associated environmental pollution.	Two projects are expected to be completed on 31 July 2023
c	Dr J S Moroka	DWS has Infrastructure Development Management (IDM) relates to Water Conservation Demand Management (WCDM) not water quality	Water Conservation and Demand Management	Ongoing
d	Victor Khanye	Upgrading of the Delmas Wastewater Treatment Works from 4.5ML/d to 12ML/d	To improve the quality of treated effluent discharged into the water resource (Olifants catchment) to prevent the associated environmental pollution	13 May 2024
e	Lekwa	Various projects relating to management of effluent in areas including Rooikopen, Sakhile and Standerton town	Eliminating sewer spillages within households. Project entails replacement of sewer reticulation network, refurbishment / upgrading of pump stations, unblocking of sewer lines and repairs of water reticulation including water conservation and demand management.	June 2024
f	Dipaliseng	Upgrading of Balfour WTW’s from 6.5ML/d to 19.5ML/d Construction of bulk pipeline from Fortuna to Grooitvlei including storage facilities	To supplement water supply to Balfour, Siyathemba, Grooitvlei / Nthorwane and Greylingstad.	Upgrading of WTW’s is due for completion in August 2023. Bulk pipeline due to be completed in March 2024.
g	Steve Tshwete	Assisting the municipality to refurbish and upgrade the Vaalbank Water Treatment Works which supplies water to Middelburg and Mhluzi areas	To improve process performance and reduction of sulphate to ensure acceptable drinking water quality.	December 2023

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Reply:

In August 2022, the Minister established a Regulatory Commission comprising of eleven (11) Commissioners who, as a collective panel of experts, possess various sets of economics, financial, social and technical qualifications and experience. The Commission was established in terms of Section 99 of the National Water Act and serves as the Minister’s advisors and provides a level of autonomy in improving the transparency and predictability in regulatory decision making.

The Minister is of the view that this regulatory model needs to be given a chance. Therefore, the required legislative provisions were made in the revised draft National Water Act to empower this Commission.

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Reply:

The Minister and department have advised water boards and municipalities to:  

• Revise their minimum operational levels for reservoirs
• Increase water treatment and reservoir storage capacity
• Revise water treatment schedules to maximize water treatment while electricity is available or other measures to ensure security of water
• Requiring water boards and municipalities to revise the minimum operational levels for reservoirs
• Develop alternative sources of electricity supply to meet their electricity needs, either through off-take agreements with independent power producers or embedded generators, or through direct ownership. This could include for example, solar panels coupled with inverters and batteries.
• Develop alternative sources of electricity supply to meet their electricity needs, either through off-take agreements with independent power producers or embedded generators, or through direct ownership. This could include for example, solar panels coupled with inverters and batteries.
• Where electricity is supplied from municipality, Water Boards and Water Services Authorities shall, where practically possible and through municipal electricity departments, isolate water and sanitation infrastructure.  
• Develop integrated response plans to maintain drinking water and drinkin water and wastewater standards during loadshedding, covering water and sanitation, electricity, and other divisions of the Water Service Authority. 

The Department has also requested Eskom to exempt water boards and water service authorities from penalties for exceeding the notified maximum demand during periods of load shedding. Eskom has not yet acceded to this request.

The DWS is also in the process of issuing a Request for Information (RFI) for the private sector to invest in renewable energy generation coupled with energy storage capacity to supply DWS with its electricity needs, based on long-term electricity off-take agreements with DWS. This will incrementally reduce the reliance of DWS on the electricity grid over time.

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Reply:

a) Over the past few years, the Ugu DM has experienced significant water supply challenges throughout the district due to several challenges outlined in the table below:

• The current operational treatment capacity of the Ugu DM WSA (excluding boreholes) is approx. 130 Ml/day. The 2020 water demand model indicates a current water demand of approximately 200 Ml/day (immediate 70 Ml/day shortfall) and a future predicted (2050) water demand of approx. 330 Ml/day. Water supply shortages are exacerbated during the peak holiday periods when demand often doubles.
• Due to shortage of bulk water and bulk storage capacity any interruptions in supply from bursts, equipment failures, leaks and power outages result in the systems emptying rapidly and systems destabilising and resulting in water interruptions. Due to demand outstripping supply, systems can take extensive periods to stabilize.
• There are staff disputes and ongoing vandalism.
• Damage to assets and infrastructure during the July 2021 unrest.
• Problems with the billing system, revenue collection and dissatisfaction with service have reduced revenue and sustainability of service.
• Illegal connections resulting in water losses, reduce revenue and demands on systems.

b) The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has been actively participating in different structures and the inter-Ministerial Task Team and other structures established by the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal in January 2022. The participants include the Planning Commission, Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent (MISA), DWS, Provincial Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA).

The Task Team was intended to determine the root causes of water supply interruptions in the various supply systems in the municipality and develop actionable interventions. In addition, the Minister of Water and Sanitation established a WAR room in November 2022 to monitor the progress made with implementation of the interventions being implemented in the area.

In line with its mandate, the DWS has focused support to ensure availability of sufficient water resources to supply the area. The Minister issued a Directive to Umgeni Water to fund and implement the Cwabeni Dam, an off channel storage dam with a capacity of approximately 70 million cubic meters to augment the Bhobhoi/ uMzimkhulu supply system which feeds Port Shepstone and surrounding areas. This project will increase the yield of the raw water supply system and reduce the risk of non-supply during dry periods.

The DWS is also supporting the Ugu DM with the detailed planning for other regional bulk water supply projects including Harding Weza, Mtamvuna and Vulamethlo regional schemes that are required to ensure there is sufficient water to meet the growing demands in the area. It is anticipated that these planning studies will take about 12 months to complete.

Furthermore, during the 2022/23 financial year the department transferred R150 million from the Water Service Infrastructure Grant (WSIG) to Ugu DM, to accelerate the infrastructure refurbishment. Allocations over the MTEF are indicated below:

Financial Year	Allocation
2023/24	150 000 000
2024/25	87 750 000
2025/26	90 000 000
Total	327 750 000

T

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Reply:

The Department, collaborating with the Amatola Water Board, mobilised the operations team from Amatola Water to join the Makhanda team to investigate the reason for the non-functionality of the Waainek Water Treatment Plant. Investigations pointed to the inability of pumps to abstract water from the Howisons Poort Dam to Waainek Water Treatment Works in the western side of Makhanda. Specialist Divers were called in to investigate any blockages on valves on the dam wall and removed some debris that was found. The pump was taken off-site for further testing and found to be functional. Current investigations on the pipeline are ongoing and divers with specialist equipment are again hard at work to investigate and resolve the current water challenges. Furthermore, the following is being done to assist the municipality:

The Department, in consultation with provincial government is mobilising further resources to enable Amatola Water to start with critical emergency work within Makhanda. Amatola Water has already costed the works and its proposal has been submitted to Cogta and Office of the Premier for funding.

As part of its ongoing regulatory activities, the Department also engaged the Makhanda Municipality regarding non-compliance on loading drinking water monitoring data on the Integrated Regulatory Information System (IRIS)

The levels of E.coli levels have since been brought under control and the water supply is being closely monitored. In addition, the boil water notice was issued by the municipality.

Ongoing construction of the James Kleynhans (Phase 2), funded under the Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant (RBIG) to the upgrade the Water Treatment Works from a 10Mℓ/day to a 20Mℓ/day plant which supplies the town. Construction started on 18 January 2023 and the practical completion is planned for 15 December 2023. An additional 10Mℓ/day project to upgrade the existing system will commence by end of June 2023.

It should be noted that the Moeggesukkel community mentioned in the question could not be located nor is it known by the Makhanda Municipality, however reported leaks in the municipality are being addressed as an ongoing activity.

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Reply:

1. (a) In May 2022, the Minister issued a directive to Amatola Water in terms of Section 41 (1) and Section 63 (1) of the Water Services Act, to urgently intervene and address water shortages in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro Municipality (NMBMM) owing to the ongoing drought. The required scope of work for the intervention was to address the following:

• Governance of the water services function within Nelson Mandela Bay Metro Municipality.
• Represent the Minister in terms of Section 73 in fulfilling the Water Services Authority function for the duration of the Section 63 intervention.

• Assisting the municipality with the implementation of the Drought Alleviation Action Plan towards prevention of a “Dry Tap” scenario (especially in the western part of the Metro), through, amongst others: implementing and enforcing water restrictions; implementing a drought awareness communication plan; providing assistance with the water conservation and demand management strategy.

b) The outcomes of the intervention include:

• Accelerating the move of the Impofu barge which stretched available water on the Kromme system from 16 days to 375 days
• Working with the provincial Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) to ensure restrictions are developed and are reasonable while ensuring that the local dams are given the maximum opportunity to recover
• Furthering work towards transforming the water and sanitation business into a resilient professional and reliable service entity
• An improved drought communication strategy was rolled out in collaboration with NMBMM and Mandela Bay Development Agency
• Facilitating work done by non-governmental Organisations and private sector stakeholders like Coca-Cola Beverages SA on drilling boreholes at municipal owned properties around the municipality
• Eliminating the backlog of leaks in July 2022, and immediately attending to new ones
• Encouraging private sector support, such as the Business Chamber leak repairs and the Strategic Water Partnership Network Memorandum of Understanding
• Creating enabling conditions to accelerate municipal processes
• Supporting the downward trend of water demand
• Supporting water augmentation projects.
• Finalising the capacitation of key positions in the technical team

The Amatola Water Board's approach has been collaborative and initiating a partnership with the NMBM to identify and unblock challenges.  The experts have been using their experience and skills to amongst others; advice; share best practices; anticipate challenges and propose common solutions. Close collaboration with the Political Oversight Committee; City officials and organized business has contributed a great deal in moving Day Zero much further from becoming a reality.

2. a) Please refer to the response above in question 1 (b).

b) The total expenditure that was incurred by the Board in relation to the NMBMM water crisis is as follows:

Financial Year 2022	R305 338. 58
Financial Year 2023	R282 550. 74
Travel costs	R112 409. 78
Total costs:	R700 409. 10

3. The Department did not instruct any independent auditor and/or monitoring group to oversee the expenditure of Amatola Water Board. Board members are paid based on the DWS Policy on Board Practices and the remuneration of board members of entities reporting to the Minister of Water and Sanitation. According to this policy, Board Members are remunerated on an hourly rate basis for meetings attended. The maximum number of hours that may be remunerated per month for the Chairperson of the Board is 50 hours and Board Members is 40 hours. Any additional hours to be remunerated such as may arise in extraordinary circumstances, should be approved by the Minister prior.

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Reply:

1. (a) Compliance monitoring audits are non-financial performance audits conducted to determine conformity by municipalities with the National Water Act, Act 36 of 1998. There is no direct financial legislation applicable.

(b) There were no relevant financial legal obligations involved in conducting compliance audits.

(2) (a) (i) and (ii)

Province	License	Permit	General authorisation	Exemption	Total
Western Cape	33	11	37	3	84
Limpopo	21	0	11	0	32
North-West	20	1	1	8	30
Mpumalanga	25	1	6	6	38
Gauteng	44	0	1	6	51
Free State	21	5	11	38	75
Northern Cape	10	10	1	19	40
Eastern Cape	16	10	58	36	120
Kwazulu-Natal	13	27	9	20	69
Total	203	65	135	136	539

(b) (i) and (ii) All municipal wastewater treatment plants were audited in the period between 2009-2023.

(c) Authorisations issued to the wastewater treatment plants have conditions prescribing how much waste and concentrations can be released into the environment. The teams that conduct compliance audits are trained Environmental Management Inspectors (EMIs) capable of determining whether the conditions have been breached or not. In cases of non-compliance resulting in pollution of the environment, such pollution can be quantified in terms of its impact on the environment. This involves sampling the polluted medium, analysis of the samples, and interpretation thereof.

(d) In instances where a water user fails to comply with any of the license conditions, the Department first exercises administrative enforcement actions which are in the form of Notices and Directives to afford the water users an opportunity to rectify any non-compliance. When users are non-responsive, the Department proceeds with either or both criminal and civil enforcement actions.

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