Outrage over R50 million spent on water board members

TRAVEL PERKS

- YOSHINI PERUMAL yoshini,[e-mail]

POLITICAL parties and community activists are demanding an investigation into the expenditure of water board members.

This was after the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) revealed that more than RSO million was spent on “massive payouts and travel perks” to board members in the last financial year.

The expenditure and payments to board members was provided by Pemmy Majodina, the Minister of Water and Sanitation, in her reply to Visvin Reddy, a member of the Public Works and Infrastructure, and Water and Sanitation committees for the uMkhonto Wesizwe Party, in the National Assembly.

Reddy questioned the department's finances and said the financial records of DWS were corroborated by a “credible whistle-blower”.

The response revealed that the uMngeni-uThukela Water board chairperson, advocate Vusi Khuzwayo, received R1 533 000 in remuneration for the 2023/2024 financial year, and his total cost to travel was R179 000. He attended 14 meetings for the year.

The total remuneration for the 12 board members was R9 728 000.

At Rand Water, remuneration for the 13 board members amounted to R7 303 713.

The total remuneration for board members at the country's seven water boards and the Water Research Commission, together with travel costs, exceeded RSO million.

Reddy said Majodina and her department had failed in their fiduciary duty to ensure transparency, value-for-money, and ethical conduct within public entities.