Auditor-General warns of water collapse as 59 municipalities blow R2.3bn on tankers

THE Auditor-General of South Africa has revealed that more than 59 municipalities spent a staggering R2.32 billion on water tankering services during the 2023-2024 financial year, as the country's water infrastructure continues to deteriorate.

- HOPE NTANZI

Speaking to the Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation on Tuesday, Jolene Pillay, Senior Manager at the Auditor-General, highlighted a series of alarming findings about water service delivery across the country, warning that without urgent action, these challenges will worsen. The Auditor-General's report pointed to a systemic failure in water service planning and management.

While many entities in the water sector, including the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), Water Trading Entity (WTE), and the seven national water boards, were found to be unqualified in their audits, the findings also revealed that the majority of South African municipalities were struggling to comply with basic water service standards.

"We are far from an ideal situation," said Pillay. "Out of 135 water service authorities, only 23 were clean in their audits. The rest had either findings on their compliance with legislation or their performance.

"This means that more than 100 municipalities are either failing to meet the minimum requirements for water service delivery or are not effectively managing their resources."

One of the most concerning issues highlighted in the report was the failure of many municipalities to prepare or update their Water Service Development Plans (WSDPs), which are essential for planning and managing water infrastructure.