‘Free State is losing a battle on water infrastructure vandalism’ – says deputy minister

Water and sanitation deputy minister Dikeledi Magadzi says the Free State province’s woes over crumbled water infrastructure that often leave residents with no access to water is perturbing.

Magadzi was speaking during a recently held Women’s Month campaign in the township of Warden under the theme “Women’s social economic rights and empowerment: Building back better for women’s resilience”.

The campaign, spearheaded by the department zoomed in to the water-related issues.

The deputy minister stressed that scourge of water resource infrastructure vandalism is affecting the delivery of water and sanitation services adversely.

“People who are responsible for the undesirable occurrence of vandalising of our water resource infrastructure are our children and brothers, we are also aware of where they sell those stolen goods, let us play our role in trying to avert this phenomenon” said Magadzi.

The ministry further said it is deeply concerned over lack of self-sustainability and mishandling of billing systems administrated by municipalities in the province.

Magadzi said another backlog the department has discovered is installation of water meters that are connected are illegally.

The department said it will also intensify a battle against pit latrines and bucket system eradication which are exacerbated by continuous erections of informal settlements as they are rife in Free State.

In closing, Magadzi reiterated the department’s commitment in working in hand-in-hand with municipalities and water boards to ensure that services are delivered to the people. 

Last week, Kasi Voice News zoomed in to the water backlog in the province, where citizens are exposed to unclean water, while others endure several months without water.

Read more | Free State’s unclean water: Communities battles to take a ‘mere’ glass of water

When the publication reached out to the Human Rights Comission, it said, it has put Free State under the spotlight on a range of issues in the lack of consistent water supply to communities.