Latest news with #RandWater
IOL News
2 days ago
- Business
- IOL News
Rand Water eyes legislative changes to enhance municipal water management
This comes as the bulk water provider sets to rollout more than R40 billion toward ageing infrastructure refurbishment over the next five years. Image: Supplied Banele Ginidza Rand Water is anticipating a change in legislation that could enable it to override poor municipal management of water and sanitation budgets, the provision of water services, and facilitate a choice of supplier for consumers while also ringfencing water and sanitation payments. This comes as the bulk water provider is set to rollout more than R40 billion upgrading the bulk water infrastructure and upgrading waste-water treatment works in municipalities over the next five years. Speaking at the latest PSG Think Big Series webinar on Tuesday, Rand Water CEO, Sipho Mosia, said this initiative was a direct response to the escalating challenges faced in municipal water management. Mosia said the entity was confident of the immediate future with reviews in legislation that would enable it to play a more proactive role in water distribution. "The prognosis looks good in terms of our ability to get more water into the system. This time last year we added about 150 million litres of water into the system. And we are going to be adding an additional 450 million of water into the system, which will in a period of about two years add 600 million litres. So the prognosis looks good, at least at the bulk level," Mosia said. "Already in 2025/2026, we are talking meeting the demands of 2031 in terms of the bulk water provision into the system. For those that invest in Rand Water, we are still maintaining the gross profit margins that I cannot disclose numbers now but its looking good. All we need to do as country is focus on distribution and the future looks rosy." Video Player is loading. 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Next Stay Close ✕ Mosia said the upgrades will be funded by the Department of Water and Sanitation, with the first rollout at the Emfuleni Municipality where 5 mega litres a day water treatment works is being built. He said the reviewing of some key pieces of legislation would ensure that water services and water authority functions would be mandated separately. One of Operation Vulindlela's objectives is to strengthen water resource management through reforms aimed at enhancing the overall management of water resources, improving water service delivery by local municipalities, and establishing or appointing ringfenced, professionally managed, and independently licensed utilities for water and sanitation services. "What the government is saying is that if you are a municipality and you are struggling with water services provision, it is not going to be given that you are going to be a water services provider. That is going to be taken away and given to a different entity that can be another municipality," he said. "That can be a district municipality or a local municipality that is capable. It can be given to a water board, to a private service institution. That is part of the reform that we are putting in place. We have already started at the Emfuleni Municipality where we are coming in as a service provider. The municipality is the authority and that will change." Mosia said the debt owed by municipalities to Rand Water has surged from R1.5bn in 2015 to more than R8bn by the third quarter of the 2024/25 period, putting a serious drain on the entity's ability to function. "We are still fine for now. We are able to raise capital in the market place but in the long term it's a matter of serious concern for us. And part of why we welcome the reforms is because they are getting towards ringfencing all the funds related to water and sanitation," Mosia said. "We have seen the water entity within the municipality is highly profitable. They generate enough revenue. They can be able to pay the bulk water to Rand Water. But because money has no colour in the municipality, the revenue is used for other services and therefore the municipalities do not pay for bulk water. "With these changes, particularly what we are implementing as a new model, the money that comes for water and sanitation will be ringfenced. What will then turn the situation around is that the money the municipality collects for consumers and water and sanitation will then go to bulk water provision and services that are related to that, including the upgrade and refurbishment of aging infrastructure in the value chain." BUSINESS REPORT
The Star
2 days ago
- General
- The Star
Joburg Water's communication collapse deepens city's water crisis
Nico De Jager | Published 4 hours ago Joburg Water's failure to effectively communicate which areas are affected by water outages due to maintenance or burst pipes is leaving residents frustrated. The lack of communication means that residents are left unprepared for water outages. Not all residents can afford to buy water that is needed for the basics, like flushing the toilet, bathing, cooking, and cleaning. Despite the growing water crisis in Johannesburg, the entity remains largely silent when residents need answers the most. There is a glaring absence of timely updates, clear information, and meaningful engagement, particularly during water interruptions. This silence is not an inconvenience; it is an insult to residents who deserve transparency and accountability. Information is not filtering through to the public, and in many cases, it doesn't reach ward councillors. Ward councillors play a crucial role in keeping residents informed on service delivery issues. There seems to be a disconnect between depots on the ground and the head office. This lack of internal coordination makes bad communication even worse. It is unacceptable that in a city of this size, residents are still left guessing about when water will return, why there are delays, or where to find basic relief such as water tankers. Joburg Water can learn from Rand Water on how to improve communication with residents regarding issues around water. Pressure from the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng has resulted in Rand Water improving on how it communicates with residents and municipalities regarding potential water outages. The DA Gauteng demands that Joburg Water urgently overhaul its communication strategy, particularly on social media and public alerts. This way, councillors and communities will remain properly informed. A DA-led Gauteng provincial government would ensure that, through the Gauteng Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Joburg Water is assisted in improving how it communicates with residents regarding maintenance that could lead to water outages, the importance of using water sparingly, and burst water pipes. Nico De Jager MPL - DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Infrastructure Development
The Citizen
2 days ago
- Business
- The Citizen
Rand Water CEO explains why Gauteng is often without water
Rand Water to invest R40 billion in the next five years on water projects. Residents of Gauteng do not go a full month without waking up to dry taps, sometimes due to maintenance, sometimes because they have had a pipe burst. But without fail, some parts of the province will go days without water each month. The issue appears to be persistent, as millions more rands are needed to repair it. CEO of Rand Water, Sipho Mosai, said the issue is not because South Africa does not have enough water, but due to maintenance recovery and other challenges further down the supply chain. ALSO READ: 21-day water disruptions in Joburg from next week Rand Water distribution Rand Water is the largest bulk water utility in Africa, supplying water to Gauteng, parts of the Mpumalanga, Free State, and North West provinces. The water utility is responsible for purifying and distributing large volumes of water, which it then sells to municipalities, who are then expected to handle distribution to households. Addressing attendees at the PSG Think Big webinar on Tuesday, Mosai highlighted that the water utility will be investing at least R40 billion in water projects for the next five years. Water frustrations Mosai added that the rising pressure on the country's water system is due to ageing infrastructure, illegal connections, and poor municipal governance. He said the daily per capita water consumption in the country has increased to 290 litres, raising concerns about sustainability. 'We do not have a bulk water crisis. What we as a bulk utility are putting into the system is way above the world average.' ALSO READ: 'If you don't want to pay more, use less': Parliament debates new water caps for farmers Pressure on infrastructure Mosai said the increase in daily water usage is putting a lot of pressure on infrastructure, and the problem is getting worse because municipalities have not spent enough on maintenance and are losing a lot of water through leaks or other issues. 'The maintenance that we're doing now is exactly that – we are going into our infrastructure to ensure its resilience. And unfortunately, as we do so, we have to take certain systems out.' Recent maintenance outages have triggered public frustration around poor communication and slow service restoration, but Mosai pushed back on suggestions of poor execution. 'All the maintenance schedules were completed on time. The system takes time to recover, and the recovery time varies depending on your location. Low-lying areas normally receive water faster than high-lying areas.' Water quality Mosai also touched on the issue about water quality, stating: 'We supply some of the best drinking water in the world. We compare our water with the World Health Organisation standard and comply with SANS 241, part of our commitment to supply safe drinking water to our consumers. So, if anybody tells you that the water quality from Rand Water is substandard, just take that as misinformation.' He has acknowledged that the root cause of the problem is at the municipal level, not at the water utility. He stated that this has been substantiated by reports, citing national water strategies and the department of Water and Sanitation's blue-drop, no-drop, and green-drop assessments as evidence of deep-rooted issues that fall outside Rand Water's purview. However, the water utility has come up with solutions to some of the challenges. They have established special-purpose vehicles with municipalities to tackle infrastructure failures and non-revenue water, which includes both technical losses and illegal connections. ALSO READ: Burst Sandton pipe repaired, though water woes persists R40 billion investment Speaking on the utility's large-scale capital projects, 'If you look at what we are investing in the next five years, from the bulk point of view, we're talking R40 billion or so.' This includes upgrades to wastewater treatment works and new capacity to meet future demand. 'We're not going to be simply looking at maintenance; we are also looking at building new infrastructure to meet future demands. For example, Station 5 Water Treatment Plant has been instrumental in boosting the overall capacity of Rand Water operations, enabling us to supply an increasing population and provide reliable water services during periods of high-water demand. 'A major milestone in Rand Water's infrastructure renewal and augmentation strategy to ensure a sustainable future water supply to its customers and municipalities across Gauteng.' NOW READ: Giyani Water Project nears completion as additional R3 billion needed
IOL News
2 days ago
- General
- IOL News
Joburg Water's communication collapse deepens city's water crisis
The lack of communication by Joburg Water means that residents are left unprepared for water outages, says the writer. Image: Bhekikhaya Mabaso / Independent Newspapers Joburg Water's failure to effectively communicate which areas are affected by water outages due to maintenance or burst pipes is leaving residents frustrated. The lack of communication means that residents are left unprepared for water outages. Not all residents can afford to buy water that is needed for the basics, like flushing the toilet, bathing, cooking, and cleaning. Despite the growing water crisis in Johannesburg, the entity remains largely silent when residents need answers the most. There is a glaring absence of timely updates, clear information, and meaningful engagement, particularly during water interruptions. This silence is not an inconvenience; it is an insult to residents who deserve transparency and accountability. Information is not filtering through to the public, and in many cases, it doesn't reach ward councillors. Ward councillors play a crucial role in keeping residents informed on service delivery issues. There seems to be a disconnect between depots on the ground and the head office. This lack of internal coordination makes bad communication even worse. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading It is unacceptable that in a city of this size, residents are still left guessing about when water will return, why there are delays, or where to find basic relief such as water tankers. Joburg Water can learn from Rand Water on how to improve communication with residents regarding issues around water. Pressure from the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng has resulted in Rand Water improving on how it communicates with residents and municipalities regarding potential water outages. The DA Gauteng demands that Joburg Water urgently overhaul its communication strategy, particularly on social media and public alerts. This way, councillors and communities will remain properly informed. A DA-led Gauteng provincial government would ensure that, through the Gauteng Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Joburg Water is assisted in improving how it communicates with residents regarding maintenance that could lead to water outages, the importance of using water sparingly, and burst water pipes. Nico De Jager MPL - DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Infrastructure Development
The South African
7 days ago
- Business
- The South African
14-hour water interruptions to affect these Johannesburg areas
Rand Water will carry out a crucial 14-hour meter replacement operation on Wednesday, 30 July, starting at 6:00 and ending at 20:00. The project aims to improve water supply efficiency. It involves replacing magnetic flow and mechanical meters connected to Johannesburg Water systems. Residents in Abbatoir and Market areas may experience low pressure or no water during this period. Johannesburg Water advised that, once maintenance is completed, it could take up to three days for the water supply to normalise fully. The purpose of this upgrade is to ensure long-term benefits for residents. 'The replacement of these meters is part of our ongoing commitment to improve service delivery and ensure continuity of water supply,' said Johannesburg Water. Furthermore, the scheduled maintenance is expected to benefit customers by enhancing meter accuracy and reducing long-term service disruptions. Affected residents are encouraged to store water before the interruption and use it sparingly during recovery. Johannesburg Water has taken over all billing responsibilities for water and sanitation services from the City of Johannesburg as of 1 July to strengthen operations. This transition is expected to streamline customer service and improve billing accuracy. 'This strategic transition marks a turning point in our continuous commitment to improve service delivery, enhance operational efficiency, and improving accuracy in billing, therefore ensuring greater accountability in our customer billing processes,' said Johannesburg Water Managing Director Ntshaveni Mukwevho. Also, the shift was carefully planned to ensure minimal disruption, and officials believe the change will lead to faster query resolutions and more innovation in addressing customer needs. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
