GOOD speech by Brett Herron,
GOOD Secretary-General & Member of Parliament
01 June 2022
Note: This is the speech that was delivered by GOOD Secretary-General and Member of Parliament, Brett Herron, during today’s Parliamentary Portfolio Committee Report on Water and Sanitation.
It is said that, in the near future, wars will be fought over access to clean water. Across the world, more and more rivers are dammed to provide for more and more people, and more and more industry. There’s more and more pollution, and less and less water for people to drink.
It’s a finite resource; despite all our cleverness, people have yet to invent systems to affordably desalinate or decontaminate it.
The report focusing on Eastern Cape Water and Sanitation projects is critically important for two reasons: (1.) It showcases a level of oversight that should be the norm, not an exception; and (2.) It illuminates the growing crisis in our country in respect of the management, or mismanagement of precious resources, as if there is no tomorrow.
The Eastern Cape is in desperate need of intervention, but so is the rest of the country.
The health of our water supply is a great leveler in our unequal society – like Eskom. The overwhelming majority of citizens are not self-sufficient.
We all need clean water to function: We need it running into our townships and informal areas, we need decent and dignified sanitation systems, our farmers need to water their crops, and our industries need water to survive and enable the economy to grow.
The Report provides evidence of delays, crucial mistakes and a lack of accountability that continue to pollute our state-owned enterprises.
The city of Makhanda (formerly known as Grahamstown) was announced in May as one of the worst three water quality municipalities in the entire Eastern Cape. Yet the municipality has received R700 million over the past nine years to fix it. Are these numbers not absurd?
The Amatola Water Board has meanwhile stated that the situation is dire, both in water supply and with regard to their financial capability to pay their workers for the rest of the year.
We cannot continue to accept constant cash injections into failed ventures. South Africans should be grateful for the report. They would be more grateful if they saw some consequences and improvements.
Media Enquiries:
Brett Herron, GOOD: Secretary-General & Member of Parliament
Cell: 0825183264
Email: bretth@forgood.org.za
Janke Tolmay, GOOD: Media Manager
Cell: 0733671223
Email: janke@forgood.org.za