The Ministry of Water and Sanitation met with the Gauteng Provincial Government, Rand Water and all the municipalities in the province on Sunday evening, 24 November 2024, to discuss water supply challenges faced by the province.

The meeting is a standing activity by all three spheres of government led by Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina and Deputy Minister David Mahlobo, together Premier Panyaza Lesufi and MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Jacob Mamabolo with the three metros, the Cities of Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane, in order to receive progress reports on the plans being implemented to mitigate water supply challenges in Gauteng.

This time, the meeting was extended to all municipalities that are supplied water by Rand Water in Gauteng. In attendance was Rand Water Chairperson, Ramateu Monyokolo and Group Chief Executive, Sipho Mosai; Mayors from Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni Metros, Cllrs Dada Morero and Nkosindiphile Xhakaza respectively; Sedibeng District Mayor, Cllr Lerato Maloka; Mayors of Mogale City, Merafong, Lesedi and Emfuleni local municipalities, Cllrs Lucky Sele, Nozuko Best, Mluleki Nkosi and Sipho Hadebe, as well as representatives from Tshwane, Rand West and West Rand District.

These meetings are a good example of cooperative governance, as the three spheres of government are in agreement regarding the causes of the water supply disruptions in the province. There is also agreement regarding what measures need to be implemented toreduce the risk of such disruptions in future and the three spheres are working together to implement these measures. Daily and weekly meetings involving the three spheres of government are taking place at a technical level to ensure a well-coordinated approach to reducing the risk of water supply disruptions.

Due to high water leakages, illegal connections and high average water consumption, which is 60% more than the world average, the demand for treated water in Gauteng is occasionally exceeding the available supply of treated water from Rand Water.

DWS sets a limit on the amount of water that Rand Water can abstract from the Integrated River System, and Rand Water is not able to abstract and treat any more water than it is currently doing.

The tight relationship between supply and demand results in a situation where the water supply system is vulnerable to electro-mechanical breakdowns and to peaks in demands caused by heatwaves.

To address this situation, there is agreement that all the municipalities need to focus on fixing the leaks in their water distribution systems and removing illegal connections; putting in place water-use restrictions and enforcing them as well as implementing punitive tariffs for customers that use water in a wasteful manner.

The City of Johannesburg reported that it has increased the number of its maintenance teams to reduce response times for the repair of reported leaks. The City also indicated that it has started to strengthen its by-law enforcement for water restrictions and is implementing a programme to remove illegal water connections. It also indicated that it has started to install more pressure reducing valves, which is a cost-effective way of reducing leaks during periods 
of low demand, such as overnight.

Various mayors also shared their municipalities' efforts to manage water consumption in their respective municipalities, including reports of water leaks and pipe bursts, and addressing illegal connections.

The meeting noted the improved stability of the water supply system in the last two weeks as a result for the recent rainfall and efforts by several municipalities to manage the demand and improve systems efficiency, however it remains vulnerable. 
As such, all municipalities were urged to continue implementing the following measures:
▪ Implementing water restrictions levels 1 and 2 and enforcement of by-laws; 
▪ Implementing all measures to curb leaks in all public facilities and ensure adherence 
to restrictions;
▪ Timeously attend to leaks and remove illegal connections; 
▪ Continue to improve the systems’ performance by refurbishing all valves and installing pressure reducing valves;
▪ Expedite infrastructure projects of pipe replacement as well as augmentation of 
storage capacity and boost pumps;
▪ Continuous engagement with communities through public education on water saving measures.

The meeting noted and supported the work of the Platform for Water Secure Gauteng, which is a collaboration between all three spheres of government, business and civil society leaders to provide better information to residents regarding water supply issues in the province and to raise awareness of the need to use water more sparingly.

The municipalities were further encouraged to work with the Department of Water and Sanitation, Rand Water, the Provincial Government and the National Treasury to explore other funding and implementation models that will enable them to service residents better such as the Special Purpose Vehicle proposed for the Emfuleni Local Municipality in partnership with 
Rand Water.

Minister Majodina expressed her satisfaction with the leadership displayed by the Mayors across the municipalities in the province in addressing water supply challenges. MEC Mamabolo from the Gauteng Provincial Government echoed the Minister’s sentiments.

However, it was agreed that the municipalities still have a great deal of work to do to fully implement the agreed-on measures.

For more information, contact Wisane Mavasa, Spokesperson for the Department of 
Water and Sanitation on 060 561 8935 / mavasaw@dws.gov.za or 

Theo Nkonki, Spokesperson for Gauteng MEC for Infrastructure Development and Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Jacob Mamabolo on 0827196404 or on theo.nkonki@gauteng.gov.za