Urgent Action Needed to Address Municipal Failures That Lead to Water Crises

Dear Editor

The Democratic Alliance (DA) is deeply concerned about the collapse of water management in Gauteng as a result of municipal failure, political mismanagement, and cadre deployment. Rand Water’s latest report confirms that 47% of all treated water is lost due to leaks, poor maintenance, and neglected infrastructure. This is a direct result of the breakdown of local government, where ANC-run municipalities have failed to prioritise service delivery.

Rand Water has now been forced to over-abstract from the Vaal Dam, exceeding its licensed limit by 453 million cubic metres per year. When questioned, Rand Water admitted that this over-extraction is largely due to rampant leaks in municipal networks—a situation that could be prevented if local governments had functional capacity. Meanwhile, residents are being asked to use less water while corrupt and incompetent municipalities allow billions of litres to go to waste.

The City of Johannesburg is one of the worst offenders, with thousands of leaks left unattended due to mismanagement, cadre deployment, and a complete lack of political will.

The DA recognises that urgent action is needed to stop municipal failures from crippling our water supply. As part of our solutions-driven approach, we support the proposal to use a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) in Emfuleni as a pilot project to help manage and finance water infrastructure maintenance. This would allow private sector expertise and funding to be brought in to stabilise and improve water supply networks.

However, while the SPV can provide relief in cases of severe municipal failure, it will not solve the root cause of the problem: dysfunctional municipalities. Until we fix local government by ensuring competent leadership, ending cadre deployment, and restoring accountability, water infrastructure will continue to deteriorate.

To address this crisis, I will be writing to the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs to request the implementation of Schedule 6B of the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) to direct emergency funding towards fixing municipal leaks.

We also call for:

• An independent audit of municipal water losses to identify the worst-affected areas and hold officials accountable.
• The removal of incompetent municipal managers and officials who have failed to maintain basic services.
• An end to cadre deployment in local government, replacing it with skilled professionals who can actually do the job.
• Strict governance reforms to ensure municipalities take responsibility for maintaining their own water infrastructure.

The DA will continue to fight for efficient, accountable, and well-run municipalities that prioritise service delivery. South Africans deserve access to clean, reliable water—something that is only possible with competent governance and urgent intervention.

Regards

Marina van Zyl MP
DA Deputy Spokesperson on Cooperative Governance & Traditional Affairs