Chair, the Department of Water Affairs is presiding over a catastrophe. It has failed dismally to maintain and upgrade infrastructure. Serious problems with grave health and economic implications are looming. The country is sitting on a ticking bomb.
The Moqhaka Municipality reported a thousand cases of diarrhoea. At least 350 people were treated in hospital because they drank either untreatable or untreated water.
Last week a staggering 500 children were sent home after 100 people who allegedly drank contaminated water became sick. The town is now relying on local farmers in Kroonstad for its water supply. Kroonstad could soon be without electricity because it has an unsettled bill with Eskom running into millions of rands.
What is happening in the Free State is happening in other parts of the country too. A clear trend is emerging. The system of municipal services is breaking down. Commentators are fearful about what would happen if a mainline sewer pipe, stretched to breaking point, were to explode. The situation in Gauteng, the Free State, Mpumalanga and elsewhere is dire. What are the problems? They are inadequate infrastructure, a countrywide lack of technical skills, incompetence, poor leadership, and delays in creating new infrastructure.
The goal of the department of ensuring that the country's drinking water is safe, accessible and affordable will remain a distant hope. A major disaster is looming. If Cabinet fails to act right now the responsibility of water provision in the water and sanitation sphere will rest solely with this government. I thank you. [Applause.]