This speech was delivered by GOOD MP, Shaun August during the Budget Vote on Water and Sanitation in Parliament today.
WATER AND SANITATION BUDGET VOTE
23 July 2020
Honourable Chair.
We all need water to survive.
Never before in our history has a lack of access to water been more life-threatening than it is right now.
The realignment of funds to enable a more rapid rollout of access to water is welcomed. The impact of the realignment on the capacity of DWS to monitor and enforce the necessary legislation must be carefully managed.
While we are fortunate that the drought seems finally to be over, there are instances, like in the Lemoenshoek River outside Barrydale in the Western Cape, where rivers have not flowed for years.
Not because of the drought, but because of upstream farmers taking all the water.
In the case of the Lemoenshoek River, this means that Mr Freek Willemse, a land restitution farmer at the downstream end of the river, gets no water at all, even though our Water Act promises that water will be shared equitably.
In the case of Mr Willemse, it is not only greed, but illegal approvals from water officials that have created this situation.
Poor compliance has seem problems with water security occur across the country, including in the Vaal River on which the economic powerhouse of Gauteng is dependent.
Whilst we accelerate the rollout of access to water, we also need to keep making sure that the water demands can be met sustainably, and that water quality standards are upheld.
The Department must keep up and accelerate its efforts to stop corruption and wasteful spending because this means that we can do more with the same limited budget that we have.
I wish to acknowledge the hard work of the department’s staff who have been working behind the scenes to accelerate the delivery of water throughout the lockdown period.
It is regrettable that it has taken a pandemic to lead to this acceleration of delivery, but now that it is underway, I hope that it will continue until every home has access safe water.
I support the adjustments and reallocations needed to deal with the Covid pandemic.
I thank you.