Salga rejects punitive measures against municipalities for water issues

THE South African Local Government Association (Salga) has rejected Water and Sanitation minister, Pemmy Majodina's call for punitive legal action against municipalities over water issues, saying this would undermine collaborative problem-solving and also threaten to drain public resources.

- NICOLA DANIELS

Achieving clean water and sanitation for all has long been a goal of democratic South Africa, however in 2022, access to clean water stood at 88.5%, and access to improved sanitation stood at 80.7%.

The issue has been highlighted at the National Water and Sanitation Indaba last week, with water supply issues experienced in parts of the country in recent months.

At the indaba, President Cyril Ramaphosa noted that "municipalities had not reinvested the revenue they earn from the provision of services to the upkeep of key water infrastructure".