Political Correspondent
The national water crisis committee, established recently to coordinate government efforts in addressing water scarcity, is dealing with immediate challenges in the most affected municipalities while changing the way that water infrastructure was funded and managed, says President Cyril Ramaphosa.
In his keynote address to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) at Stilfontein in the North West on Friday as part of its “taking parliament to the people” programme, Ramaphosa said the government has prioritised measures to address the water crisis affecting many municipalities across the country.
Water challenges saw Johannesburg, the country’s largest metro and economic and financial hub, go without the precious resources for weeks on end earlier this year, prompting Ramaphosa to establish the crisis committee.
“Two weeks ago we held a historic meeting of all the mayors in South Africa to discuss the challenges facing municipalities. At that meeting, we outlined the National Water Action Plan, which outlines the focused actions we will take to address the crisis,” he said.
