DA: Nicholas Myburgh: Address by DA Shadow Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation, Budget Debate on Vote 41: Water and Sanitation, Parliament (16/05/2023)

16th May 2023

Water, energy and food crisis is SA’s perfect storm

Honourable Speaker

In recent days, leading retailers, economists, and risk analysts have all voiced their deepest concerns over increasing levels of poverty, hunger, the ongoing energy crisis and the water problems associated with it…all as a result of the rank incompetence and unchecked corruption wrought by this ANC government’s policy of cadre deployment.

We know that in many parts of the country basic water and sanitation services have already come to a standstill with zero prospect of recovery.

After 29 years of misrule by the so-called liberation movement, millions of people are still excluded with only 60% of households who have reliable access to potable water.  

And things will only get worse because since 1994 the building of dams have largely been neglected because Kader Asmal, for one, believed that rivers must flow freely, and people must simply use water more responsibly and so today we face the situation that by 2030 SA’s demand for water will outstrip supply by 17%...that is in a mere 7 years’ time! 

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