Chairperson, lack of adequate and clean water and of other basic services has caused many communities to lose confidence in local government, and this has been made evident in the spate of community protests.
There are communities that get water from polluted rivers and share the water supply with cattle, donkeys and goats. The lack of potable water in rural areas near Mthatha, such as Ngqeleni and Mqandulu, which rely on water from rivers, needs to be addressed.
Our sewage treatment works are also in dire need of repair and upgrading. Only about 3% of the works throughout the country are operating according to South African health standards. This means that there are currently kilolitres of untreated sewage spilling into our rivers and oceans. This is unacceptable.
While the IFP supports this Budget Vote, there are serious concerns that need to be highlighted for public knowledge. The amount allocated to one of the most important programmes of this department, the National Water Resources Infrastructure, has declined considerably, from R2,5 billion in the previous financial year of 2009-10 to R2,2 billion in the current financial year of 2010-11.
Unless the department can prove otherwise, in our view, these budgetary cuts are anomalous, considering the importance of the improvement and maintenance of our water infrastructure. The importance of water infrastructure was also stressed by the President in his state of the nation address.
Access to clean water is a human rights issue and the people of our country have this right. However, more than 4 million South Africans are still without access to clean potable water.
There is also great concern that South Africa is experiencing an uncertain water future due to water shortages in many regions, including Port Elizabeth, which will host some of the World Cup matches. Without water, government's economic and social objectives will not be met and people will be confined to living lives of misery. It is heartbreaking that some poor communities still rely on rivers as a water source, because this gives rise to water-borne diseases. The pollution of our water sources and catchment areas and poor water quality can and must be prevented. In order to improve water quality one needs proper treatment, trained staff and - this is increasingly important - good maintenance of equipment.
Poor communities, especially in urban fringe areas, are particularly susceptible to the dangers posed by water polluted from a variety of sources due to the poorly enforced regulation of water pollution.
We must always bear in mind that water, sanitation and health are closely interrelated. This connection is more visible in poor developing communities, while it's taken for granted in affluent pockets of society.
Over the past years - in fact, since 1994 - there has been a loss of municipal engineers and this situation contributed to lower spending. Since skilled staff are leaving due to pressure and stress, there has been an over-reliance on consultants.
In conclusion, however, we do want to commend the department, especially the Minister, for all the great achievements in the past financial year, such as the provision of water in the communities of Jozini and Maphumulo in KwaZulu-Natal. Shine, Minister! [Applause.]
The department needs to provide assistance to all those municipalities that are in a state of paralysis and dysfunction. We hope that the Department of Water and Environmental Affairs will spend their budget wisely in order to address some of these critical problems. The IFP supports this Budget Vote. Thank you.