The Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation raised concerns that, despite Presidential commitment since 2020, there are continued delays in processing water use licences (WULs).

This followed the committee’s receipt of the Department of Water and Sanitation's (DWS’s) first-quarter performance report on Tuesday, when it was outlined that the department is currently approving about 68% of WUL applications against a target of 85%.

“While the committee noted the department's acknowledgement that the underperformance resulted from limited human resources and the transfer of performance responsibilities to Catchment Management Agencies, this underperformance strikes at the heart of using water as an enabler of economic development,” said Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation chairperson Leon Basson.

The department's inability to meet its own targets undermines government's efforts to use water as a catalyst for socioeconomic development, economic growth, job creation and poverty reduction.

He noted that the department must provide a comprehensive report on the processing of WULs to ensure renewed focus on expediting the application process.

Further, concerns were expressed over the inability of municipalities to provide reliable water services that, without a coordinated whole-of-government response, will continue to undermine the DWS's ability to achieve its performance targets.

“While the committee acknowledges the distinct constitutional roles of the different spheres of government, it remains unacceptable that a silo mentality persists within government. This only perpetuates the shifting of blame to the detriment of residents and businesses across the country,” Basson said.

“What is even more concerning is that this continues despite government's adoption of the District Development Model, which is intended to address fragmented planning and disjointed project implementation.”

The Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation further emphasised that the delivery of water services should not be hampered by disputes over the functions of the various spheres of government, urging all spheres to fully use the intergovernmental relations framework to strengthen collaboration and ensure that communities have reliable access to water.

In this regard, the committee welcomed the increased use of water boards to intervene in municipalities that are unable to implement projects or lack the necessary technical capacity.

Meanwhile, the committee also remains concerned about poor project planning which continues to delay the implementation of critical water infrastructure projects, noting that obstacles such as environmental authorisations, procurement delays and challenges relating to land ownership should have been identified during the planning phase and mitigation measures implemented before the start of a project.

“It is unacceptable that about 76 projects are currently not being implemented because of impediments that could have been anticipated and addressed through proper planning,” said Basson.

The committee also reiterated its concern over the escalating municipal debt owed to water boards despite interventions, including the withholding of equitable share allocations.

It, however, welcomed municipalities that have continued to honour their repayment commitments.

Municipal debt to water boards reached R24-billion by the end of May.

While acknowledging areas of commendable performance, the committee expressed concern over the non-achievement of several first-quarter targets and the deferment of these targets to the second quarter.

Further, the committee warned that this could negatively affect overall yearly performance, and of particular concern is the implementation of the audit action plan.

“Although the committee recognises that certain performance indicators are affected by external factors, it urged the department to closely monitor its targets and implement the necessary interventions to ensure that annual performance objectives are achieved,” Basson concluded.