Sewage spillages polluting the Letaba River, villagers being forced to share water sources with livestock and the municipality’s repeated unfulfilled promises to address water challenges have fuelled scepticism among residents of Mopani District Municipality about the Water Services Amendment Bill.
Residents shared these concerns with the Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation during public hearings on the Water Services Bill held at Lenyenye Community Hall outside Tzaneen. While an overwhelming majority of residents supported the objectives of the Bill, they questioned whether the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has the capacity to enforce the proposed legislation, given its perceived inability to effectively enforce the existing Act.
“We welcome the overall objective of strengthening the regulation, management, accountability and enforcement of water services. However, Agri Letaba’s fundamental concern is whether this Amendment Bill will actually improve service delivery on the ground when the department has struggled to enforce the current legislation,” said Ms Naomi Excel, a member of the community. Ms Excel called on the department to ensure that it has adequate capacity to improve service delivery.
Her concerns were echoed by Mr Jacque Kruger of the Letaba Water User Association, who called for a clear mechanism through which consumers can lodge complaints and receive meaningful responses. “We have reported many service delivery failures, from the municipal level to the Director-General of the DWS. But unfortunately, we have not received any positive feedback,” Mr Kruger said.
He warned that there remains a continuous risk of contamination of the Groot Letaba River, mainly due to inadequate infrastructure and the inability to respond expeditiously to remedy problems.
Meanwhile, residents recounted their daily hardships as a result of inadequate access to quality water services. Mr Pat Lubisi said some boreholes in the area have remained non-functional, further worsening the community’s water challenges. “We call on Parliament to enhance its oversight and monitoring to ensure that promises are implemented,” said Mr Lubisi, a member of the community.
The committee expressed concern over the community’s revelations about inadequate water and sanitation service delivery. “This legislation is important because it seeks to remedy the challenges identified by members of the community. We have heard you and the challenges you face, and we will consider all your inputs when we consolidate the submissions received from communities across the country,” the committee said.
The public hearings form part of the committee’s nationwide consultation process on the Water Services Amendment Bill. The committee also held public hearings in Polokwane and Bela-Bela.
Malatswa Molepo
31 August 2026
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