Deputy Minister, whilst I acknowledge what you are saying and telling us all the initiatives
that you have put in place, I must admit that the situation in terms of water in South Africa is bleak and I think we are reaching a crisis proportion in South Africa; and I think we need to be very honest about it and address these challenges.
Let me just give you some statistics, Deputy Minister. Municipalities lose about R9,9 billion [Inaudible.] through leaks annually in South Africa. About 56% of the waste water treatment works are in poor condition. About 44% of the water treatment works are in poor condition; 11% are dysfunctional. Only 5% of water for agricultural land is used by black farmers. South Africa lost 50% of the water factory wetlands. Water in the rivers and dams and lakes are being polluted. The average domestic consumption worldwide is 173 litres per person but in South Africa it is 237 litres per person. It is estimated that by the year 2030 South Africa will run out of water.
So, what does it tell us? We have a serious problem in terms of water.
Now, let me go one step further. It is estimated that you losing an average of 37% to 40% through leaks, alone; and very little or nothing has been happening. Now, this is has been going on for tens of years and very little or nothing has been happening.
If you take her, the City of Cape Town, over 72 outlets of water, right here underneath this very House, there's water running into the sea; nowhere terms have been made to divert that water and save that water. [Interjections.]
In terms of the dams, Deputy Minister, with over 5 200 dams, only 315 of those dams are in the control of the state, with the rest of them being under private control; and we believe that is totally unacceptable.
The other problem we've got is if you look at the projects that were supposed to have been initiated in the first two quarters; the department has only been able to achieve 48 of that 51. So, what does it tell us is that this department is not functioning optimally. And while we appreciate the interventions, we are saying if we
allow ourselves to continue [Time expired.] doing that way we are going to have a serious challenge by 2030. [Applause.]