Dear Editor
The proposal by Minister of Water and Sanitation, Pemmy Majodina, to revive “pop-up courts” will not solve South Africa’s water crisis. Courts alone cannot stop the water mafia. What is urgently needed is thorough investigation, targeted prosecutions, and strong action against the criminal networks draining our water supply.
South Africans know that the problem is bigger than vandalism. Ageing infrastructure, weak maintenance, illegal connections and leaks are responsible for most outages. While syndicates must be dealt with, creating fast-track courts without fixing governance failures will only shift blame rather than deliver water.
The DA supports firm action against the water mafia. But the real order of battle is clear:
- Investigate and prosecute syndicates properly. Police must build watertight cases, trace criminal networks, and secure convictions. Courts are only effective if there are strong investigations and arrests behind them.
- Secure water infrastructure. Pump stations, reservoirs and major pipelines need proper protection — access control, surveillance, and rapid response policing — so that criminals cannot sabotage them in the first place.
- Fix the basics of maintenance. Municipalities must ring-fence budgets for maintenance, repair leaks quickly, and replace ageing infrastructure. Blaming “sabotage” cannot excuse years of neglect.
- End the extortion economy. Water tanker contracts have become a feeding ground for mafias. Municipalities must audit tanker fleets and include GPS tracking specifications in their tenders to prevent abuse.
- Empower residents to report crime. Communities need clear, local channels to report extortion, tampering, and leaks — with visible follow-up and action taken.
The DA will now demand that metros publish their maintenance backlogs, set out credible catch-up plans, and provide transparent reporting on non-revenue water reduction. We will also push for municipalities to move urgently to make public the outcomes of whistle-blower reports, including arrests and prosecutions.
Pop-up courts may grab headlines, but they will not keep taps running. Only real investigations, prosecutions, secured infrastructure, and honest maintenance will defeat the water mafia and guarantee water for South Africans.
Regards
Stephen Moore MP
DA Spokesperson on Water & Sanitation