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Enquiries: Ms T Sigwaza
Telephone: 012 336 6600
Reference: 2/1/5/1
MINISTER OF WATER AND ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY: QUESTION 1625 FOR WRITTEN REPLY
A draft reply to the above question asked by Mr J F Smalle (DA) is attached
for your consideration.
ACTING DIRECTOR-GENERAL
DATE:
DRAFT REPLY APPROVED/AMENDED
MRS B E E MOLEWA, MP
MINISTER OF WATER AND ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS
DATE:
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
FOR WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION NO 1625
DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 17 JUNE 2011
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO. 17)
1625. Mr J F Smalle (DA) to ask the Minister of Water and Environmental
Affairs:
(1) Whether any municipality in Limpopo owe any outstanding debt to
Lepelle Northern Water (LNW); if so, (a) which municipality and
(b) what is the total value of the outstanding debt;
(2) whether water supply to any of the implicated municipalities
have been cut off; if not, what is the position in this regard;
if so, (a) which municipalities, (b) when was the water supply
cut off and (c) for how long was water supply interrupted in
this way in each case;
(3) whether her department has any measures in place to ensure that
the outstanding debts are collected; if not, why not; if so, (a)
what measures and (b) by what date should all arrears be paid;
(4) whether any steps will be taken against the municipalities that
have not yet paid their outstanding debts; if not, why not; if
so, what (a) steps and (b) are the further relevant details?
NW1830E
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REPLY:
(1) Lepelle Northern Water (LNW) serves eleven (11) municipalities. The
amounts owed to LNW are indicated in the attached Table A.
All amounts owed for a period exceeding 30Â days are regarded as
arrears. It can be seen from the same table that nine
(9)Â municipalities are in arrears with a total outstanding debt
of R309,168, 855 million.
(2) None of the municipalitiesâ water supply who are in
arrears have been cut off.
(2)(a) Falls away
(2)(b) Falls away
(2)(c) Falls away
(3)(a) The Department assists through mediation in disputes which
arise from the non-payment and has recently started such a
process with the Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality and the Mopani
District Municipality. An amount of R4,8 million was received in
April 2011 from the Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality. Since
then, LNW met with delegates from the Mopani District
Municipality and an arrangement was made to pay R1 million
before the end of June 2011 which has been paid. A debt recovery
plan has been signed between the Sekhukhune District
Municipality and LNW and a payment of R10,6 million was received
in April 2011. A debt recovery plan was also signed between the
Capricorn District Municipality and LNW and a payment of R7,1
million was paid in May 2011.
-2-
(3)(b) The Department cannot give an exact date when
the arrears will be paid as this hinges on how long the
mediation process takes. However, the dispute between LNW and
Polokwane Municipality about the outstanding amount of
R1,5Â million has been resolved â the amount will be corrected
on the June 2011 invoice. The account is on current.
(4)(a)(b) Although section 4 of the Water Services Act, 1997 (Act No. 108
of 1997) provides for the restriction of supply as well as cut
offs, no such steps have been taken against the municipalities
that have not yet paid their outstanding debts. However, as
stated in (3)(a) above, the Department is assisting in mediating
for the debts to be settled.
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TABLE A
Municipality |Outstanding Balance |Current |DAYS 30 |DAYS 60 |DAYS 90 |DAYS
120 |ARREARS | | | | | | | | | | |Lepelle Northern Water |Ba-Phalaborwa
Local Municipality (LM) |
24,241,526 |Â |Â |Â |Â | 24,241,526 |
24,241,526 | | |Capricorn District Municipality (DM) |
56,868,301 | 3,012,949 | 3,374,464 |
3,822,684 | 3,521,706 |43,136,498 | 53,855,352
| | |Greater Letaba LM |
481,358 | 481,358 |Â |Â |Â |Â |Â | | |Greater Tzaneen LM |
37,816 | 33,499 | 18 |
91 | 296 | 3,912 |
4,317 | | |Fetakgomo LM |
10,637,223 | 543,213 | 524,087 |
709,358 | 514,567 | 8,345,998 |
10,094,010 | | |Makhuduthamaga LM |
6,622,029 | 1,635,551 | 1,895,558 |
1,921,516 | 1,106,186 | 63,218 |
4,986,478 | | |Marble Hall LM |
5,903,223 | 169,644 | 225,226 |
261,808 | 108,921 | 5,137,624 |
5,733,579 | | |Mogalakwena LM |
1,356,005 | 1,356,005 |Â |Â |Â |Â |Â | | |Mopani DM |
195,608,850 | 5,356,913 | 6,238,410 |
7,090,989 | 5,527,204 | 171,395,334 |
190,251,937 | | |Polokwane LM |
11,643,350 | 10,054,250 | 4,021 |
5,788 | 7,796 | 1,571,495 |
1,589,100 | | |Lepelle Nkumpi LM |
19,383,724 | 971,168 | 1,110,606 |
1,631,770 | 765,107 | 14,905,073 |
18,412,556 | | | |
332,783,405 | 23,614,550.00 | 13,372,390.00 |
15,444,004.00 | 11,551,783.00 | 268,800,678 |
309,168,855 | |
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