Ramaphosa vows to crack down on water mismanagement

South Africa’s water crisis received pointed attention during President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation (SONA) Address on Thursday, with a warning that negligent wastage will no longer go unpunished.

The country is in the grip of a water crisis, with taps running dry in the North and dam levels worryingly low in the Cape.

But Ramaphosa announced that the government will continue to pursue criminal charges against negligent municipalities.

Municipal managers must not think they can hide, he threatened.

“The government has already laid criminal charges against 56 municipalities that have failed to meet their obligations. We will now move to lay charges against municipal managers in their personal capacity for violating the National Water Act," he warned.

Water experts have long warned that billions of litres are lost each year through leaks, poor planning, mismanagement and a collapsing infrastructure.

Ramaphosa also announced the establishment of a National Water Crisis Committee, which he will chair, similar to the one he set up three years ago to deal with the energy crisis.

WaterCAN’s Dr Ferrial Adam says the move is textbook Ramaphosa.

“What we've seen is, often, when the president hits a speed bump or an obstacle, he sets up either a commission or a committee.

"Him setting up this committee, whether or not they're actually going to do anything, for me, is basically him acknowledging that this is a national crisis, but not saying it."

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Earlier this week, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi angered residents in Johannesburg by suggesting that he, too, has been inconvenienced by the water shortages.

In a 'let them eat cake'-style blunder, the premier told journalists, "I had to go to a certain hotel so that I could bathe and go to my commitments. We also go through the same inconvenience as any other person."

Lesufi is completely disconnected from the reality of the people he governs, says Adam.

Admitting that there was 'no silver bullet' to address the water crisis, the president said the government had committed more than R156 billion in public funding for water and sanitation infrastructure over the next three years.

To listen to Adam in conversation with CapeTalk's Lester Kiewit, use the audio player below: