Gauteng’s water system is collapsing

Nico de Jager, a member of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, said that the province’s water system is collapsing.

While this is happening, Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s government’s only solution appears to be to tell residents to use less water.

“The warning lights are already flashing red, while the Gauteng Provincial Government is sitting on its hands,” De Jager said.

Across Johannesburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, Emfuleni, and the West Rand, there are widespread water problems and outages.

These are caused by ageing pipes, leaking networks, failing pumps, inadequate maintenance, and dysfunctional municipalities.

The Department of Water and Sanitation’s figures show non-revenue water at approximately 49.8% in Johannesburg, 45% in Tshwane, and 32.6% in Ekurhuleni.

In Johannesburg, almost one in every two litres entering the municipal system generates no revenue, with much of it lost to leaks, bursts, and other losses.

“Lesufi’s government cannot conserve its way out of this one. He cannot fix decades of infrastructure neglect by asking residents to take shorter showers,” De Jager said.

“He cannot repair a leaking water network with another press conference. He cannot run Gauteng on water tankers.”

He said that, for years, maintenance was deferred, infrastructure aged, water losses increased, and municipalities were allowed to deteriorate.

“Now ordinary residents are expected to absorb the consequences. Gauteng residents cannot be punished for failures of the government and municipalities,” he said.

He said that the DA has called for a Gauteng Water Infrastructure Emergency Programme through the implementation of our Infrastructure Masterplan.

This will help accelerate pipe replacement, ring-fence maintenance funding, protect critical infrastructure, and reduce water losses.

They will engage the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Jacob Mamabolo, regarding the programme and other water-related issues.

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Water problems in Johannesburg

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