<\/p>\n
Deputy President Paul Mashatile has sent a clear and uncompromising message in Parliament underscoring the government\u2019s intensified focus on consequence management in the water sector to combat corruption and inefficiency.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are stepping up consequence management. Water boards, municipal managers, and service providers will be held accountable\u2014no exceptions,\u201d Mashatile stated, addressing concerns over poor performance, criminal interference, and service delivery failures.<\/p>\n
The deputy president was responding to questions in the National Assembly in Cape Town on Thursday.<\/p>\n
He acknowledged that many of the country\u2019s water authorities were managed at the municipal level, with oversight from the Department of Water and Sanitation.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir performance is under scrutiny. We cannot afford weak leadership in these critical institutions. When individuals don\u2019t deliver, action must follow\u2014because failure costs lives and fuels corruption,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
However, Mashatile spotlighted the growing threat posed by \u201cwater mafias\u201d\u2014organised criminal networks that sabotage public infrastructure to profit from tanker contracts.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey have embedded themselves within city systems, disrupting services so that municipalities are forced to rely on outsourced water supply. What began as a temporary solution for emergencies has become a captured industry,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Mashatile affirmed that these networks are being targeted, \u201cWe are actively dismantling their influence. Protecting our cities from this kind of corruption is a top priority.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also called for smarter, more transparent communication with residents. Drawing a parallel with Eskom\u2019s repair notifications, he stressed that municipalities must keep citizens informed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen there are disruptions, communities must be notified in advance. It\u2019s basic governance. It builds public trust, and it shuts down room for manipulation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mashatile confirmed that a high-level task team, working with the Minister of Water and Sanitation, is developing stricter accountability measures and performance standards for all water institutions.<\/p>\n
Restoring order in the water sector is not just about fixing leaks\u2014it\u2019s about fixing the system, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat means rooting out corruption, enforcing discipline, and ensuring every official understands: if you fail the people, you face the consequences,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Water and Sanitation Minister, Pemmy Majodina together with the Free State government, opened the 38-kilometre tunnel, Ash River that runs from Lesotho to South Africa. President Cyril Ramaphosa has also announced plans to address the water challenges in the country. <\/span><\/p>\n kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za<\/p>\n Politics<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Deputy President Paul Mashatile has sent a clear and uncompromising message in Parliament underscoring the government\u2019s intensified focus on consequence management in the water sector to combat corruption and inefficiency. \u201cWe are stepping up consequence management. Water boards, municipal managers, and service providers will be held accountable\u2014no exceptions,\u201d Mashatile stated, addressing concerns over poor performance, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[12062,2937,11867,12257,1246,597],"class_list":["post-243119","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-politics","tag-combat","tag-corruption","tag-mashatile","tag-sabotage","tag-vows","tag-water"],"yoast_head":"\n
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This strategic infrastructure project is designed to achieve two primary objectives: supplying water to South Africa\u2019s Gauteng region \u2014 the country\u2019s economic hub \u2014 and generating hydroelectric power to meet Lesotho\u2019s domestic energy needs.<\/span>
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