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The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) and Water Shortage South Africa (WSSA) says South Africa is in need of an independent water regulator.
The organisations agree that the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) is failing to effectively regulate the country’s water sector and requires a “serious and effective intervention”.
WSSA has agreed to collaborate in championing for the establishment of an independent regulator in South Africa, with key drivers for the initiative including to permanently address the department’s failures in terms of regulation, ensuring that no political interference occurs and unlocking and facilitating investment in the country’s water sector to ensure sustainable economic and socioeconomic development.
WATER LAPSES
Outa and WSSA argue that an independent regulator is needed because Blue and Green Drop reports have not been published since 2014; the Vaal River is seriously polluted by untreated sewage; water pricing in municipalities is not regulated, resulting in underrecoveries and compromised services; agriculture is not able to access the required volumes and quality of irrigation water during normal seasons and drought; and municipalities are, on average, leaking 37% of their water.
Part of the organisations’ work will be to appoint a steering committee with specialist members and which will be chaired by Outa water and environment portolfio manager Yamkela Ntola.
The steering committee will consider competing schools of thought and interests and will engage all interested and affected stakeholders across the country to gather and consolidate their inputs, to present before State institutions.
The stakeholders will include the agricultural, mining, manufacturing and the food and beverage industries.