Ramaphosa concerned about significant volume of water lost before it reaches households

President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed concern about the significant volume of water lost before it reaches South African households.

The country’s eight Metropolitan municipalities are losing at least 34% of water before it can be billed.

Leaks in major pipelines are believed to be the primary cause of these losses, with municipalities also failing to promptly fix them.

Speaking at the presidential coordinating council at the Birchwood Hotel, Ramaphosa stressed that municipalities need to urgently address these issues and improve their operations.

Ramaphosa recently set up a national water crisis committee to tackle the country’s worsening water shortages.

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He said that the committee has already begun its work, bringing together municipal mayors, MECs, ministers, and water boards in a coordinated effort.

Ramaphosa added that a key focus is strengthening municipalities’ ability to manage water infrastructure effectively and improve revenue collection.

"Revenue generated from water services must be ring-fenced to support the operation, maintenance, upgrading and long-term sustainability of those services. If infrastructure is allowed to deteriorate while revenues are diverted to other functions, the water crisis will only deepen."

Ramaphosa said that the same level of effort used to address the energy crisis will also be applied to tackling the country’s water shortages.