Dear Editor
The costs of Phase 2 of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) have ballooned by R11 billion in just one year, which the Auditor General confirmed in yesterday’s Water & Sanitation Committee meeting. This alarming increase is unacceptable, and the Democratic Alliance (DA) calls on Minister of Water & Sanitation to seek an immediate investigation by the Auditor General into this financial mismanagement.
Phase 2 was originally budgeted at R8 billion in 2008 (equivalent to approximately R19 billion adjusted for inflation), but by the end of the previous administration, costs had already surged to R42 billion.
The project is pivotal in supplying Rand Water’s service area, affecting 16 million residents across Gauteng, the Free State, and North West. Although current water outages in these areas are largely municipal-borne, South Africa’s rapidly growing population means we face a critical water supply shortage.
These escalating project costs will inevitably burden ratepayers. Bulk water boards will be charged significantly more to extract water, increasing municipal costs and subsequently inflating household water bills. Municipalities already owe water boards more than R28 billion, and further debt accumulation threatens the collapse of local water systems.
Access to affordable water is a fundamental human right, and the DA will not accept a scenario where South Africans must choose between dry taps and unaffordable rates. Immediate, decisive action is demanded from the Department of Water and Sanitation to prevent a deepening crisis.
Regards
Stephen Moore MP
DA Deputy Spokesperson on Water & Sanitation