Download logoThe Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation is of the view that the Department of Water and Sanitation’s (DWS) intervention in terms of Section 63 of the Water Services Act will not yield sustainable results if the underlying challenges within municipalities persist.
The Committee received an update on the progress of DWS interventions. While notable progress has been made, the committee expressed concern that interventions must ultimately reach their natural conclusion, after which municipalities will be required to operate and maintain the completed projects without the necessary skills and capacity.
“The objective reality is that although these interventions are necessary to ensure completion of projects and the resumption of quality water and sanitation services, municipalities continue to struggle with capacity constraints that will impact the running of the infrastructure in the long term. Without such capacity, the interventions will not yield positive and sustainable long-term solutions,” said Mr Leon Basson, Chairperson of the committee.
The committee reiterated its view that the water value chain can only function effectively if all its components are effective. Currently, municipalities represent a weakness in the value chain, which unfortunately exposes the entire system to significant and potentially unmitigable risks.
The committee has emphasised the need to strengthen municipal systems and human resource capacity to ensure that the people of South Africa benefit fully from the socio-economic impact of reliable water and sanitation services.
Meanwhile, the committee was informed that, through the Section 63 intervention, the DWS was able to complete, amongst other things, the refurbishment and/or upgrading of four major sewage pump stations that were in critical condition. Collapsed sewer pipelines were also replaced, resulting in a reduction in sewer spillages and flooding affecting households in Emfuleni Local Municipality.
Similarly, in Hammanskraal, the department implemented and constructed a 50 ML clean-water package plant to augment water provision. The project has been completed and was officially handed over by the President on 18 July 2026.
While welcoming the progress made in implementing these projects, the committee highlighted that, without a long-term and sustainable programme to ensure functional local government, the infrastructure could eventually be mismanaged due to a lack of skills and governance challenges.
The committee has called on government to develop a detailed plan to ensure that these projects are not eventually mismanaged by an incapable local sphere of government, and that communities continue to receive quality water and sanitation services over the long term.
In line with this, the committee highlighted that the current legislative process aimed at strengthening water services legislation may assist. However, without the required capacity, legislation alone not will resolve the persistent lack of skills and capacity at local government level.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.
