Cabinet welcomes efforts to ensure water security over the next decade

Cabinet says efforts to improve the management of existing water assets and ensure water security over the next decade has been boosted by President Cyril Ramaphosa’s assent to the South African National Water Resources Infrastructure Agency SOC Ltd Bill. 

According to the Acting Minister in the Presidency, Maropene Ramokgopa, the new legislation will also see that a new agency responsible for developing and managing national water infrastructure is established.

READ | President Ramaphosa assents law advancing water security for South Africa

The plan is to also mobilise finance for new projects through innovative models to crowd in private investment.

“Cabinet welcomes the new legislation as signifying a critical step in the reform process to increase investment in the maintenance and construction of water infrastructure and improvement of water quality,” the Minister said on Thursday. 

Ramokgopa was addressing the media on the outcomes of the Cabinet meeting held on Wednesday.

The new legislation will also enable South Africa to expand bulk water infrastructure. 

In a statement released by the Presidency last month, it explained that the law seeks to address the current fragmentation in water resource management between the Department of Water and Sanitation, the Trans-Caledon Tunnel Authority (TCTA) and the Water Trading Entity. 

Meanwhile, Deputy President Paul Mashatile will be visiting Limpopo to assess progress achieved in various intervention projects undertaken to improve water services in the Greater Giyani Local Municipality on Friday and Saturday. 

The Deputy President will conduct the visit as Chairperson of the task team established to address water challenges in various areas of the country. 

The task team is an institutional coordinating mechanism, which brings together key role players within government to provide leadership and technical assistance towards the resolution of challenges in water services in the country. – SAnews.gov.za