Mashatile says the Water Crisis Committee is intended to work together

Deputy President Paul Mashatile has laughed off a suggestion from the Democratic Alliance (DA) that by President Cyril Ramaphosa establishing a Water Crisis Committee chaired by himself, he’s lost confidence in his deputy.

Mashatile said the crisis committee is intended to work together with the water task team that he chairs to deal with the country’s water crisis.

Answering questions in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) on Thursday, Mashatile said the most critical intervention to plan for water security is for infrastructure projects to be completed on time.

In his State of the Nation Address (SONA) in February, Ramaphosa announced that he was taking the water crisis into his own hands with the establishment of a crisis committee.

However, Mashatile said he was privy to this decision, and it does not make the water task team obsolete.

He said the task team will continue its monitoring role and the committees will work in tandem.

“But we do need this structure of the president which will assist to bring resources to bear in provinces and municipalities where there’s a big crisis.”

Mashatile said ailing infrastructure and incomplete water projects are the main culprits of the country’s water supply crisis.

“Rural areas are going to be our priority when we deal with infrastructure, including water infrastructure.”

He said government also needs to acquire its own water tankers to avoid the so-called water mafia profiting off the problems.