Disappointed: Party deputy leader Paul Mashatil was not amused by the union boos. Photo: OJ Koloti/Gallo Images
Vice President Paul Mashatil has blamed the country's water problems on aging infrastructure and flawed municipal grid systems.
In response to a parliamentary question on Thursday, Mashatil said that despite the country's large reserves of dams, a collapsed supply chain full of leaks, aging pipelines and lack of maintenance , said these resources were not reaching the people effectively.
“South Africa is a water-scarce country, but we have water in a lot of dams. The challenge is the web and that's what we're working on. The water task team will definitely address these issues.” he said.
A reticulation is a network of pipes and systems that distribute water from a central source to users.
He said grid problems exacerbate already fragile systems and often push the most disadvantaged communities into crisis situations when it comes to clean water supplies.
He said many locations in the Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, the North West and parts of Gauteng were affected.
Mashatil said financially strapped municipalities don't have the resources to maintain water infrastructure “let alone update it.”
“If you shout at them, 'Fix the pipes and maintain the infrastructure,' they'll say, 'Well, we don't have the money,'” he said.
In March, a Rand Water report warned of potential disruption to water supplies to the troubled province, saying municipalities collectively owed water services more than R3 billion.
According to the report, R2 billion is attributed to Gauteng provincial council, while Mpumalanga municipalities owe R1 billion and Free State municipalities at least R63 million.
Mr Mashatil and Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina are calling on Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana to provide funding to address these structural issues. Together, they are forming water teams to strengthen efforts at the municipal level and coordinating interventions to strengthen systems full of gaps.
“[We have been] “We need resources to help municipalities solve their water problems because some municipalities don't have an adequate tax base,” Mashatil said.
Ms Godongwana responded “very positively” to the plea.
Mashatile said that despite the positive response from Godongwana, the water task force continues to battle aging water infrastructure and a disturbing trend: the rise of the “water mafia”.
Mashatil explained that the water mafia is taking advantage of the crisis by manipulating water scarcity for profit.
“I ran into this issue with the president in the Northwest,” he said. In the northwest, unscrupulous water companies are reportedly tampering with infrastructure to sell water to desperate residents.
“In solving this problem, [and] Without proper investment in healthy infrastructure, the mafia will have no chance of survival,” he said.
He added that this is because the infrastructure in many regions is outdated, with pipes and electrical grids beyond their operational lifespan.
Infrastructure problems, coupled with the financial burden faced by many municipalities, are exacerbating the situation, with ratepayers and businesses falling behind on payments, creating a chain reaction that threatens the security of water supplies.
“We need to enforce a culture of payments so that local governments can pay water authorities,” he said.
Mashatile advised that sustainable solutions need to go beyond financial relief and address municipal self-sufficiency and accountability.
“This culture of non-payment is a deep-seated problem that is impacting councils' revenues and, by extension, the services they are able to provide,” he said.
The Vice-President said water scarcity is an urgent issue in Gauteng, with leakages and high consumption rates pushing the province to near-crisis, and that he is working with other levels of government to avoid further disruption. He said that
This integrated approach aims to monitor water reserves and monitor municipal consumption levels. In particular, the team works with local governments to tackle leakage and illegal connections, issues that are depleting reserves.
The state is currently operating under Level 1 water restrictions, which could escalate to Levels 2 and 3 if consumption patterns are not controlled.
He said: “If necessary, we may soon implement Level 2 water restrictions, including a 30% reduction in supply and prohibitions on activities such as garden watering and hosepipe car washing.”
In a follow-up question, Democratic Alliance MP Stephen Moore asked Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi and MEC for Cooperative Governance Jacob Mamobolo to step up efforts in response to Rand Water's warnings of the current crisis. I asked Mr. Mashatil why he didn't talk to me.
Mashatil responded that Majodina had already met with Lesufi and the MEC, confirming that provincial authorities were working closely with the central government to streamline the crisis response.
“The minister has already arrived,” Mashatile said, underscoring the coordinated efforts between national and local leaders. “Perhaps your concern is, should we have done it sooner? But we are doing it. Everyone is aware of the need to work with the state to make sure we move in the same direction.” I understand.”
The vice president said solving the water crisis requires deeper investments and policy reforms to strengthen systems that can withstand both population demands and environmental challenges.
He added that local governments need to be empowered to become financially resilient, a process that depends not only on central government funding but also on establishing local accountability.
