Hon Chairperson, hon Minister Molewa, hon Deputy Minister Mabudafhasi, hon members, distinguished guests in the gallery, I greet you all this afternoon. The 52nd and 53rd national conferences of the ANC in 2007 and 2012, respectively, recognised that the South African water sector faces strategic challenges compounded by new threats arising from climate change. At the same time, we face major opportunities that can help transform the water sector into being a force for economic growth, job creation and equity.
The adopted frameworks for meeting the water needs of the poor are currently being challenged by the ever-increasing demands created by increasing urbanisation, industrialisation and the commercialisation of the agricultural sector. Existing policies and institutional arrangements are under severe pressure for the disregard for water rights, eroding commitments to redress inequity, outdated practices in and attitudes to the management of water resources and the tendency to neglect the poor in policy and planning processes.
In essence, the water policy represents the consolidation of all postapartheid development efforts and is aimed at establishing an integrated and progressive water system. The opportunities for working towards eliminating water insecurity across all sections of society are also greater now than ever before.
Democratisation, despite its challenges, creates new opportunities for water management. With policies and institutions properly aligned, the process of democratisation can benefit people who were previously excluded from decision-making in their sector. Despite this notable legacy of apartheid, democratic practices are continuing to gain ground in the water sector in attracting stronger support. There has also been an increase in the role of water-use associations and community networks. The new policy approach is more inclined to create equity, with the focus on giving access to water to marginalised communities, by changing single-purpose dams into multipurpose dams, and allowing historically disadvantaged individuals and SMMEs use of water through relaxed licence allocations.
The ANC policy direction on water provision sets out an approach which seeks to increase access to the poor, whilst promoting effective and efficient water resource management. It calls for efficient water use, reduction of pollution and water losses, the improvement of water productivity and the stretching of water resources. Management of water resources is required to take us to 2030 and beyond.
The 2012 national policy conference of the ANC spelled out the clear perspective of ensuring that all people may access water. Its recommendations are as follows: legislative review that allows unused allocations to be removed from entitlement holders; abolishment of water trading, and reallocation of unutilised water capacity in agriculture and other sectors; and water reticulation infrastructure to households in rural communities. I want to emphasise this - water reticulation infrastructure to households in rural communities. The rural communities were disadvantaged. Therefore, the infrastructure must be strengthened to reach those rural communities. That is what we, as the ANC, are saying. [Applause.]
The innovative use of indigenous knowledge in water management must speed up water allocation to the previously disadvantaged. We must speed up the process to address the problem of the people who were disadvantaged in the past.
Ensuring that this scarce resource is used equitably and sustainably in order to support the development objectives of the country entails developing a turnaround policy for the water boards and institutional realignment of the water boards' catchment management agencies and water user associations with regard to municipalities to provinces. The Minister has explained that - the realignment of the water boards that do not have the capacity so that they can work in collaboration with those who do have the capacity, in order to deliver the services.
We place the provision of water at the centre of the integrated development plan. Of our achievements since 1994 is the following: Where only about 59% of South Africa's population had access to water supply infrastructure, which means that about 15,9 million people had no access to a basic water supply, in 2011 only about 1,7 million had no access to water infrastructure. That is below the minimum standard. Based on the availability of funding, backlog eradication targets for 2010-11 were set at 1,5 million people per year or 390 000 households, which suggests that South Africa will come very close to achieving its Millennium Development Goals in relation to access to water.
Let me pause in my speech for a while and try to respond to other issues that I heard being spoken of by one of our members of this portfolio committee. Some are not members, so I do not know what I should call them. [Interjections.] Let me start by responding to the question by the hon Wenger on service delivery protests. Yes, service delivery protests take place because these people were disadvantaged for quite a long time. As the ANC, we are responsible, and we are in charge, for addressing all of these problems facing our communities. We are in charge of giving every individual in this country clean water.
I want to remind the DA that South Africa is not a federal state. We are a unitary state, therefore, as the DA, you cannot claim a victory in terms of water, while the ANC government is allocating money for water infrastructure in all provinces.
HON MEMBERS: Yes! [Applause.] [Interjections.]