Latest news with #Majodina
The Citizen
2 days ago
- Business
- The Citizen
Giyani Water Project nears completion as additional R3bn needed
Majodina explained that several key components of the Giyani Water Project have already been completed. The Giyani Water Intervention Project requires an additional R3 billion to complete household connections and reticulation to all targeted villages, with the bulk infrastructure component expected to finish by September 2025, Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina told parliament. DA MP Farhat Essack had asked the minister when the project would be completed and what additional expenditure was required for its completion. Giyani Water project major components nearly complete Majodina explained that several key components of the multi-faceted water intervention project have already been completed. The Nandoni-Nsami Bulk Pipeline project was 'completed in December 2023 and currently supplies Giyani WTWs with an average of 15Ml/d of raw water.' The 40km raw water pipeline runs from Nandoni Dam in Vhembe District Municipality into a balancing dam at Giyani Water Treatment Works. A parallel 26km treated pipeline, ending at Muswani under Collins Chabane Local Municipality, was also completed in December 2023. According to Majodina, the refurbishment of the Giyani Water Treatment Works to restore original production capacity to 30 megalitres per day was 'completed in June 2024'. ALSO READ: ARVs not found in Gauteng drinking water, says Rand Water Bulk infrastructure nearing final stage The minister revealed that the Giyani Water Services Project, which involves constructing 325km of bulk pipelines from the Giyani Water Treatment Works to include service reservoirs supplying 55 villages in Giyani, is in its final phase. Majodina reported that 'the overall project progress is currently at 90%' with 'project completion anticipated by September 2025'. Village connections progress The household reticulation component shows mixed progress across different phases. Phase 1 covers reticulation and household metered connections to 24 of the 55 villages. According to Majodina, the project was complete in 23 of the 24 villages, with completion of Risinga View Village set for the end of July 2025. Phase 2, covering reticulation and household metered connections to 31 villages, has been divided into two sub-phases. Phase 2a covers 15 villages, while Phase 2b covers 16 villages. The minister indicated that Phase 2 is 'still under planning' with business plans for Phase 2a having been 'provisionally approved pending budget confirmation to be implemented during the 2025-26 financial year.' Phase 2b will commence upon completion of Phase 2a, she added. ALSO READ: Water projects worth R50bn to be constructed in Limpopo while progress on older projects stalls Future upgrades and funding requirements A planned upgrade of the Giyani Water Treatment Works from 30 megalitres per day to 40 megalitres per day, along with the development of well fields, is still in the early stages. The implementing agent is currently 'processing Water Use Licence application with the department, and thereafter the IRS will be approved,' Majodina explained. She noted that funding for this upgrade is already 'included in the RBIG MTEF budget'. R3 billion additional investment needed The minister detailed that the additional R3 billion required breaks down specifically for the remaining reticulation and household connections. The costing covers service reservoirs, pump stations, reticulations and household yard metered connections. Phase 2a, serving 15 villages and 21,403 households, requires R1.5 billion, while Phase 2b, serving 16 villages and 20,972 households, requires an additional R1.5 billion. Majodina emphasised that 'the upgrade of the Giyani WTW does not require additional allocations, as it is already catered for under the MTEF allocations of the department'. READ NEXT: Residents of Limpopo village fed up after not getting water for 15 years
IOL News
07-07-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Minister Majodina calls for SADC unity to tackle Africa's R528 billion water investment gap
Minister of Water and Sanitation, Ms Pemmy Majodina, engages SADC counterparts in Harare to rally support for Africa's R528 billion annual water investment drive. The Minister of Water and Sanitation, Pemmy Majodina, has successfully placed the upcoming Africa Water Investment Summit on the agenda of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) at the 43rd Joint Meeting of Ministers responsible for Energy and Water. The meeting, held in Harare, Zimbabwe, from July 3 to 4, brought together regional leaders to strengthen cooperation on critical water and energy issues. Minister Majodina, who attended the meeting alongside Minister of Electricity and Energy, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, used the platform to urge SADC ministers to unite behind the upcoming Africa Water Investment Summit, co-hosted by South Africa and the African Union-Continental Africa Water Investment Programme (AU-AIP). The summit will take place in Cape Town from August 13 to 15, 2025, within the context of South Africa's G20 Presidency Africa faces a staggering US$30 billion (approximately R528 billion) annual water investment gap, threatening the continent's economic growth and water security. The upcoming summit aims to mobilise financial commitments to close this gap and advance bankable water and sanitation infrastructure projects across Africa.
IOL News
03-07-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
When Playing Politics Misinforms the Public
The community of KwaNdengezi has been without running water for weeks which has made their lives even harder because it is during school holidays. Image: Tumi Pakkies / Independent Newspapers Media reports tell us that the Powers and Privileges Committee recently referred uMkhonto we Sizwe party member and parliamentarian, Visvin Reddy to the Disciplinary Committee following his yelling "Pemmy must go" on March 4, 2025 during a sitting of the National Assembly to debate unreliable water supply to residents in Germiston. The Pemmy in question being, of course, Minister of Water and Sanitation, Pemmy Majodina who Mr. Reddy blamed for her (mis)handling of that crisis. Next year, it will be 30 years since the promulgation of the Constitution. Next year too, we shall be voting in local elections and it is worth asking South Africans whether our politicians are serving us well. In this case, Mr. Reddy, rather than Ms. Majodina, failed South Africa dismally as he played politics. To begin, the complaint that was being debated on the day in question was in reference to a 2023 petition that affected residents of Wards 20, 29, 36 and 92 in Germiston. At that time, Ms. Majodina was not the Minister heading that portfolio. Even if she were, neither her Ministry nor would she have been the right person to rail against. Many of us do not know who owns water and generally it becomes an issue only when it's not flowing from our taps otherwise its not something we think much about. A small tutorial as received from Rand Water Chair who also happens to be Chair of Association of Water and Sanitation Institutions of South Africa (AWSISA), Mr. Ramateu Monyokolo proved that Mr. Reddy railed against the wrong person and department. In South Africa, water belongs to the Department of Water and Sanitation. The water boards then get water from the department and purify it and provide to municipalities. Municipalities provide the water to the consumers (us). And yes. Unfortunately this water doesn't always trickle down when we want it and how we want it but the rand and rant must and should stop, by and large, with municipalities who tend to politicise their roles, in the case in question, Ekurhuleni Municipality. Much like our Constitution which it is a part of, South Africa has a water policy that is admired worldwide but that does not always deliver to the people. In my chat with Mr. Monyokolo, I tried to understand how some of the problems we have in accessing water can be solved. The fact that, I, a regular Thandi, can be curious enough to be an active citizen and seek this information out should make the Honourable Member of Parliament, and his party, ask the same about his actions, more so because he has the responsibility of making laws for the rest of us. Perhaps the key questions that Mr. Reddy should have been asking – and which I have been asking since I travelled the country in an attempt to understand the state of the nation last year – should have been more on why, as we go into local elections next year, our municipalities are failing us in water provision. It's worth noting that in 1994, there were 19 Water Boards. Due to non-payment of bills by municipalities, many of those water boards went bankrupt and now we currently have seven water boards nationwide with at least two about to shut down due again to non-payment of bills timeously by municipalities. This is particularly irking as municipalities have no problem cutting water supplies when individuals and companies do not pay what's owed to them so why exactly are they not passing on the payments they receive from us so that water boards can continue doing their jobs? Both water boards, as State Owned Enterprises, and municipalities, are public bodies that exist to serve the people of South Africa. It would therefore be problematic for water boards to take the municipalities, some of them often bankrupt, to court to ensure that they meet their obligations. And water is a basic need so often water boards, at their own expense, find themselves providing water and then risking bankruptcy. How then do we ensure that municipalities keep their end of the bargain to the water boards and pay what is owed and how too do we ensure they provide service to residents so that we can be guaranteed clean water? These are the questions Mr. Reddy should be asking. Another worthwhile question to ask, again to municipalities, is how they are not serving the no/low-income citizens. Our national water policy gives us equitable access to water which includes Free Basic Water or subsidised basic water services to low-income households. Unfortunately while the idea is great in theory, it has been difficult to implement practically and this is not due to failure from the Department or the Water Boards but again from the municipalities and a different Ministry. The community of KwaNdengezi has been without running water for weeks which has made their lives even harder because it is during school holidays. Image: Tumi Pakkies / Independent Media
Eyewitness News
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
Minister Majodina says SA doesn't have a bulk water crisis, it's a supply problem
CAPE TOWN - Water and Sanitation Minister, Pemmy Majodina, said that the country does not have a bulk water crisis; rather, the supply of water is the problem. She said the billions of rand owed by municipalities to water boards could further exacerbate the provision of water. On Tuesday, Majodina appeared before Parliament's Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) for the first time since the start of this administration. The department said that while there's currently enough raw water supply to meet national demands, there are deficits at the local level. Majodina said that of the 144 water operators in the country, 105 of them are performing dismally, hence the water shortages. 'There's no crisis. When it comes to bulk water supply, we do have, but when it comes to access of water through the taps, there's a challenge.' She added there's only so much intervention the national department can make to ensure local authorities supply communities with water. 'That is why we are bringing reforms, that there must be separation of powers. We cannot be a service authority as well as a service provider.' By the end of April, municipalities owed water boards R25 billion, and Majodina said they were simply not honouring agreements to pay up.
eNCA
07-06-2025
- Business
- eNCA
Project to extend dam on schedule
JOHANNESBURG - Work is underway to expand the Clanwilliam Dam, with completion set for 2028. Water Minister Pemmy Majodina says her department will seek approval for extended working hours to stay on schedule. The R5.7 billion project will triple the dam's capacity. Construction teams are working on the expansion of the Clanwilliam Dam to ensure they meet the project's 2028 completion deadline. Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina announced that the department will seek permission to extend overtime working hours to achieve their targets. During her visit to the site, Majodina said that she plans to monitor progress by visiting every three months. The R5.7-billion project will triple the dam's water capacity. Located on the Olifants River, the Clanwilliam Dam serves as a vital water source for the region's farmers, municipalities, and businesses. It currently holds 123 million cubic meters of water. The mega project was originally set for completion in 2018, but delays have pushed the date back to 2028. Officials have stressed the importance of meeting this deadline. Local leaders have underscored the crucial role the Clanwilliam Dam plays in the local economy, saying the completion of the upgrades will further accelerate the rollout of hydro-energy projects planned for the west coast corridor and will also bolster the region's agricultural sector.
