By OBAKENG MAJE
North West Premier, Busy Maape said the province has many semiarid areas but they will ensure that communities receive indispensable services including provision of water. Maape along with the Minister of Water and Sanitation, Senzo Mchunu embarked on an oversight visit to Brits Water treatment plant on Friday.
“The municipality will expedite all processes in bringing about change in this project. This is done in the interests of our communities. I further commit that all relevant authorities will move with speed in adhering to the set-out the deadlines.
“This is part of a broader plan which encapsulates expediting provision of services to communities. The municipalities are strategically positioned to accelerate provision of services to the people of the province and this will top the agenda of my administration,” he said.
Maape further said they are duty-bound to respond to challenges of service delivery in the province. He added that as per the dictates of the constitution municipalities are legally obligated to carry this constitutional imperative.
“We are confident that the completion of the project will bring much-needed relief to our people. We will be monitoring progress from the province to make sure that actions agreed upon are implemented.
“We made an oversight visit to assess its status and develop a remedial action plan to respond to challenges bedeviling provision of water services in this municipality. In the recent past, several concerns have been raised by residents with regards to the poor quality of water provision by the municipality,” said Maape.
Meanwhile, Mchunu who was accused of using this activity for ‘electioneering’ said: “It is a coincidence that the ministry’s appointment and subsequent assumption of duty in relation to the provision of water and sanitation services and intervening in the problems which persist, is being perceived by some as electioneering on behalf of the governing party and not viewed as part of us actually carrying out the constitutional and legislative mandates of the department.
“Having read the views expressed on various platforms, including print and social media, what was interesting to note was that these lofty comments emanated from individuals who have full and unrestricted access to clean water, rather than those without any or restricted access to water.”
He said it has also been opined by some individuals, that the non-delivery of water is not as a result of water shortages, but rather as a result of serious mismanagement that plague municipalities.
Mchunu said they acknowledge and confirm that there are challenges in municipalities, for example, the City of Tshwane in relation to the water issues in Hammanskraal, in which they are currently intervening.
“In respect of these management challenges and the non-delivery of water and sanitation services, we have intervened, interacted with municipalities outside of and as part of our provincial visits and have reached consensus on a way forward in most respects.
“What we do emphasise during our engagements is that, whilst we acknowledge the role played by the municipalities as water services authorities, we will not allow their inefficiencies to impede on the delivery of water and sanitation services to the citizens of South Africa,” said Mchunu.
The Guardian 