Chairperson, before I start responding, let me invite all the participants and those who supported us to our cocktail dinner which starts at 17:00. They are all invited.
May I thank all participants, the Deputy Minister, the Chairperson, members of the portfolio committee and all of those who have come to support us. I must say it was a very rich and mature debate that has given us food for thought.
Given the time constraints, I will not be able to respond in detail to all the issues. However, it is safe to say that I have noted all of them, and I will request the officials in my department to respond, especially to some of the questions that have been asked. I think the whole of hon Ndude's speech was full of questions and, indeed, I can't do them justice if I respond to them now. Therefore, I will request my department to look at the speeches that had questions we need to respond to, including hon Ndude's.
On the issue of underspending that was raised by the Chair, I want to report that we have spent 98% of our budget for the 2009-10 financial year. The R179 million that was not spent was due to slow spending on community infrastructure projects. We are monitoring this very closely indeed and would not want to underspend. We heard the Chairperson.
All the other issues raised here revolved around the waste water treatment infrastructure that is dilapidated, collapsing in parts and in need of maintenance and refurbishing. It talks to capacity at various levels: capacity as far as resources are concerned, the technical capacity of municipalities, as well as the human resources needed to operate and maintain these systems. All of these are big issues which we are beginning to deal with, together with the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, because some of the systems belong to local government. That is why we are working towards a comprehensive requirement for the two departments to co-operate on that. We need more funding, as has already been indicated, and that's why we are working together. We want to combine our resources for us to begin to deal with these issues.
I already addressed the issue of the directives, challenged by Mr Morgan. We do issue directives, but the issue of legislation and functions, especially functions as given by the Constitution, is a big one. We have the municipalities as the authorities, as the Constitution provides, but then we have a national department - the regulator - with its hands tied. Therefore, we are beginning to look at that, especially in the context of the Turnaround Strategy of Local Government. There will be some changes in policy and legislation. I don't know about the Constitution, but we're looking at all those aspects, because it does impact on what we're doing.
As we all appreciate, the infrastructure for water supply belongs to local government and funding follows function. We do not necessarily have the budget to help us deal with those issues adequately. Of course we have contingency plans and are able to intervene when there's a crisis, and we have already arrested somebody. We have not done much, but we are beginning to do something. Of course this is also a question of capacity, and that's why we need the Blue Scorpions. I agree that 14 is just a beginning. We need to increase their number.
I still think it is unfortunate that hon Lovemore read the details of the report, because there's nothing I can say about the report. She went through it in detail, but I can't respond. There's nothing to hide in the report and I will release it as is. I have integrity; nothing is going to be swept under the carpet. The reason I will be unable to release the report on 19 April is that I will be attending a Major Economies Forum dealing with climate change and, as you will appreciate, we are hosting Corp 17. It's very difficult for me to miss any of these meetings. On Saturday, 17 April, I leave South Africa for Washington - you can watch TV, you'll see me there. [Laughter.] That's the only reason I'm not releasing the report. When I come back, the report will be released. So, the reason for not releasing the report has nothing to do with what is contained in the report, but more with the practicality of doing it.
However, I also need to consult the Minister for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, because what is contained in the report relates to infrastructure that belongs to local government. That also needs to be taken into consideration.
While I agree with the hon Holomisa about the apartheid patterns that still linger, it is also true that the ANC-led government has done a lot to change the status quo since 1994. Now we see rural areas with access to clean potable water and decent sanitation. I think we've done very well. We have supplied about 82% of our country with clean potable water, and that is no mean feat. Therefore, I think, if anything, we are working very hard to change the status quo.
All in all, thank you very much for a rich debate. I think it has been a debate on water issues by water activists and I'm very pleased to be part of a group that is so passionate about the issue of water. I want to thank my staff, led by the Acting Director-General, and all the officials of the department. I think they've done a good job. There are issues that we need to take to the department to consider how best we can deal with them so that we can move forward. Thank you very much. [Applause.]