Global climate change is a reality, it is happening. Saving water today, South Africa, will be in your best interests tomorrow.
The ANC government is trying to address the infrastructure and maintenance challenges through the Municipal Infrastructure Grant, MIG, system. This system is also experiencing problems, some of which can be attributed to bad contractors who fail to meet specifications resulting in leaking bulk lines. However, these monies are sometimes not spent by municipalities and metros at all. This underspending is a serious concern.
This underspending occurs in all nine provinces and even in some metros. Here in the City of Cape Town, over R100 million, which should have been spent on infrastructure including bulk water infrastructure, was not spent in the 2009-10 financial year. [Applause.] This resulted in some of the residents of Du Noon, Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plein having to live with inferior or no water or sanitation of any kind.
As government, we need to start taking the issue of underspending very seriously. Those municipalities and metros that fail to spend their allocated monies must be scrutinised, including the City of Cape Town, and the reasons for the underspending must be addressed. We as government need to vigorously monitor municipal infrastructure spending.
We as the Fourth Parliament, an activist Parliament, must hold the executive accountable for underspending that resulted in the failure of bulk water infrastructure. Underspending on bulk water infrastructure will not be tolerated by the ANC and should not be tolerated by any political party represented in this House.
The question of capacity must also be looked at more seriously. Does government at local, provincial and national level have the capacity to operate, maintain and develop bulk water infrastructure? If the answer to that question is no, then what measures are being taken by the executive to address this? Have learnerships been established to capacitate those responsible for bulk water infrastructure at all levels? Do we have the required management skills, engineering skills and operating skills to provide 49 million people with clean water?
Big business, especially big mining houses, needs to start taking responsibility for the current state of the underground water. As a collective, they need to work on mechanisms to prevent future damage and work closely with government on ways to correct the existing damage.
Dr Suzan Oelofse from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research said in the 2008 paper, Mine Water Pollution:
The threat of acid mine drainage to the environment is not solved in the short, to medium term; it is likely to persist for centuries to come. Whilst acid mine drainage threatens the scarce water resources of South Africa, and as a result also human health and food security in mining areas, it also presents an opportunity to provide usable water through appropriate treatment technologies.
Hon Morgan stated that in 1994 there were 15 million people without clean water. And today, this figure has dropped to 1,5 million people. Never in South Africa's history, even during the time of the Progressive Federal Party, PFP, the Democratic Party, DP, and now the DA, did so many people get access to so much clean water. [Applause.]
As I've said at the beginning of this speech, our democracy is sweet 16, she is filled with hope for the future and determined to bring about a better life for all.
All South Africans have a role to play; we can all start saving water, business can start taking responsibility, Parliament can hold the implementers of government policies accountable, because working together we can do more. I thank you. [Applause.]