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Anton Bredell, the minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning in the Western Cape, says ongoing interventions and water savings in the province’s urban areas have helped ensure that no community has run out of drinking water yet.
“The Provincial Government has been monitoring and implementing disaster relief measures in terms of the drought across the entire province.

In some localities our interventions have been ongoing for four years now. We are keeping a close eye on the weather in the hope that we might see some welcome rainclouds soon. But until our dams have all recovered substantially, we want to urge the public and all other sectors of society, to heed the call to continue to save water.”

Bredell says indications are that three to four seasons of above average rainfall may be required for the dams to recover.
“We are currently most concerned about our agriculture sector. The sector is currently bearing the brunt of the devastating drought. We want to advise all stakeholders including farmers and others in rural areas, to contact their nearest local authorities with any drought related questions, comments or concerns. Alternatively they can also contact the Western Cape Disaster Management Centre.”

Bredell says South Africans must start looking towards becoming more resilient and future-proof.
“My department is looking at ways to do this at a municipal level. Addressing climate change and its effects on the weather, means long term behavior change from all South Africans. We need to be smarter, faster and even more efficient. We need to be ahead of the curve.”

Bredell will make some pronouncements in this regard during his department’s upcoming budget speeches.

Issued by Department of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning