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The Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation welcomes the commendable progress with the Rooival Wastewater Treatment Works refurbishment and upgrade project and the construction of the drinking water package plant at Klipdrift Water Treatment Works to resolve the water quality challenges in Hammanskraal. The committee highlighted the importance of collaboration between the various spheres of government in resolving these service delivery challenges.  
 
While the committee welcomes the assurance that the project is ahead of its projected timelines, it highlighted that proper planning and maintenance will prevent further emergency projects, which are often costly. “The progress is commendable and will ensure that the people of Hammanskraal receive quality drinking water in line with quality guidelines outlined by the South African Bureau of Standards. But it remains important that better project planning in line with projected population and economic activity growth is undertaken to prevent emergency interventions,” said Mr Leon Basson, the Chairperson of the committee.
 
The City of Tshwane and the Department of Water and Sanitation informed the committee that general works at the Rooiwal Wastewater Treatment Works is 73% complete, while mechanical engineering works are 65% complete, meaning that overall the project is 58% complete.
 
Meanwhile, the committee remains concerned that municipalities around the country are not upgrading their water treatment works to cope with population growth and increased economic activity. The committee encourages municipalities to develop water master plans and funding plans to ensure that projects are planned and implemented on time.
 
In addition, the committee is concerned that the City of Tshwane highlighted that the expansion of phase 2 and phase 3 of the Rooiwal project requires an additional R3.2 billion, a shortfall the city is currently unable to cover. However, the committee welcomes the assurance that the City is considering various models to fund the project in light of the project’s importance in expanding economic activity in the area and serving local communities.    
 
The committee is also concerned that revenue from trading services such as water is not reinvested into building infrastructure within the water and sanitation value chain. The committee considers maintenance of existing infrastructure as a crucial part of reducing leaks and believes it will contribute to increased revenue collection. In addition, municipalities must ensure that revenue is collected for services rendered to ensure resources are available to reinvest in infrastructure maintenance and to extend capacity.
 
The committee also committed to visit the Rooiwal project to assess progress.
 
Meanwhile, the committee also welcomed the reported substantial progress made from 2021 to the present in the Section 63 of the Water Services Act intervention in Emfuleni Local Municipality. The reported progress includes unblocking sewer lines, replacing collapsed sewer pipelines, refurbishing pumpstations and existing wastewater treatment works, and assisting the municipality with tools of trade, including vehicles, tools and security. The committee welcomes the assurance that the intervention is bearing fruit and that the number of effluent spillages has decreased significantly since 2021. Nonetheless, the committee remains concerned that the Vaal River continues to be polluted by sewage spillages. The only way this will be resolved, according to the committee, is to enhance performance and capacity of waste water treatment works along the length of the river.   
 
The committee also welcomed the assurance that Rand Water is assisting Emfuleni Local Municipality with skills transfer and the procurement of critical tools of trade to improve operations. The committee considers municipal capacity as central to an efficient water and sanitation value chain.
 
In line with this, the committee welcomes the intention to establish a special purpose vehicle (SPV) between Rand Water and Emfuleni to ensure the intervention is sustainable. The committee considers interventions such as the proposed SPV as critical and an innovative idea to deal with capacity challenges within municipalities.
 
In addition, the committee welcomes the assurance that the ministry is developing a polluter register to ensure that the department is aware of municipalities who are polluting South Africa’s river systems and to enforce regulations. The committee criticised the time it takes to censure those who violate anti-pollution regulations. “It is important to interact with the Minster of Justice and Constitutional Development on the viability of establishing special courts to deal with those that pollute our water resources,” Mr Basson emphasised.      

Issued by the Parliamentary Communication Services on behalf of the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation, Leon Basson