Government Launches PPP Model In Water Supply To Prevent Potential Crisis

The government started a public-private partnership (PPP) model for water supply, in collaboration with the National Treasury and the Department of Water and Sanitation.

Speaking at the first Three-Sphere Planning session of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) of the seventh Parliament in Cape Town on Tuesday, Deputy President Paul Mashatile said this initiative aims to tackle a potential water crisis, similar to how past efforts have addressed energy issues and load shedding.

"We need to act before there is a crisis," Mashatile said, SA News reported. "In eThekwini, we have been resolving the water crisis to the extent that we are beginning to see much-needed changes in the functioning of the municipality."

Mashatile told the NCOP members that the government, using the District Development Model (DDM) in Waterberg, Limpopo, and with help from the private sector, is making important changes to create more opportunities for the local community.

The Deputy President - along with the Minister of Water and Sanitation - announced plans to visit Giyani to check on the progress of ensuring water availability in that area. He stated that this approach would be the standard for the seventh administration, aiming to prevent a water crisis in the country by directly addressing community issues.

He noted that the success of the DDM depends on how quickly it is implemented and that this method should be used by all levels of government.

"We need to ensure that from the point of view of the Executive, we are entrenching the discipline of getting things done. In this regard, we are working on measures that will ensure the introduction of legislation by the Executive in Parliament is done timeously," he said.

He added, "Equally, we are ensuring that when Bills are introduced in the National Assembly, they must follow all the compliance processes so that the constitutionality of the proposed legislation is not compromised."

The deputy president noted that this task is crucial to avoid legal issues.

The planning session is focused on "Establishing an Oversight Agenda for the Seventh Parliament: Defining Key Oversight Priorities for the NCOP in the Seventh Parliament."

Parliament's strategy promotes joint and coordinated planning, encouraging teamwork in program planning and execution across all levels of government. Government believes this will enhance the effective implementation of key transformation priorities, in line with National Development Plan Vision 2030.