The Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation has said it is “perturbed by the lackadaisical attitude” of City of Johannesburg executive mayor Dada Morero toward resolving the water shortage challenges facing the city, following a meeting with the city, Johannesburg Water, Rand Water and the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS).

“It is disturbing that the municipality seems uncertain about the intervention mechanisms required, nor is it able to provide tangible timelines, especially regarding the funding of capital expenditure for Johannesburg Water.

“It is unacceptable that Johannesburg Water has an infrastructure upgrade and renewal backlog of approximately R26.61-billion, which is likely to increase due to inadequate funding in the coming years,” committee chairperson Leon Basson said.

The committee raised concerns that the municipality was unable to account for the alleged R4-billion redirected from Johannesburg Water, which could have been used to invest in much-needed water reticulation infrastructure.

While the committee noted assurances that the city was working with the National Treasury to implement trading services reforms for metropolitan municipalities, it stressed that funding for Johannesburg Water should be ring-fenced to ensure sufficient resources for infrastructure maintenance.

The committee was also concerned that the municipality was unable to pay contractors engaged to carry out critical infrastructure projects.

“The information that the municipality enters into contractual agreements with contractors for infrastructure development projects, then decides if and when it will pay those contractors for services rendered, is unacceptable.

"This is the reason many contractors abandon sites without completing critical work that would ensure access to water for residents of the city,” Basson said.

The committee said the city must, as a matter of urgency, redirect adequate funding to Johannesburg Water to ensure that the entity has a sufficient capital expenditure budget.

“The capacitation of Johannesburg Water is not only necessary, it is urgent. The City of Johannesburg must correct course and ensure that Johannesburg Water is capacitated to deliver on its mandate,” Basson emphasised.

The committee added that it was also concerning that Johannesburg Water had a non-revenue water rate of about 44.8%, which further reduced its ability to generate the revenue needed to fund infrastructure development for the city.

Meanwhile, the committee noted assurances that the city was investing in water trucks to deliver water to residents experiencing shortages. This intervention, it said, was necessary to curb the growing scourge of “water mafias” and their attempts to corruptly extract resources from municipalities.

The committee agreed with the DWS that Johannesburg Water had a credible plan to address the challenges but emphasised that adequate funding was essential for the plan to be effective.

The committee resolved that it would urgently invite the Treasury to provide clarity on the trading services reforms and their implementation timelines. It also said it would invite the Office of the Auditor-General to analyse the alleged R4-billion redirected from Johannesburg Water.