Parliament, Thursday 5 October 2017 – The Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation is impressed by the research projects that have been undertaken by the Water Research Commission(WRC) that are aimed at providing innovative interventions to the challenges within the water sector in the country.
Despite this, the Committee is concerned that the innovations do not translate into large scale interventions that impacts the lives of the people. Programmes such as the handbook for management of school sanitation, the new protocol to monitor ecological reserve, protocol on enhanced food production and many others are essential innovations that must be replicated and rolled out on a larger scale to address many water sector challenges. These research projects have a potential of alleviating social-economic challenges that the country is facing.
The Committee is impressed by the large number of knowledge products produced by the WRC for the 2016/2017 financial year. The 33 manuals and guidelines produced by the WRC must play a critical role in ensuring sustainable invention of solutions to challenges faced by the sector. “The Committee is impressed by the work the WRC continues to do and more so by the diligence management has shown in relations to the spending of resources. An unqualified audit opinion is always a welcomed occurrence, and the speed with which the entity has implemented corrective measures to deal and recover fruitless and wasteful expenditure must serve as an example for other state entities,” said Mr Mlungisi Johnson, the Chairperson of the Committee.
The Breede-Gouritz Catchment Management Agency was lauded by the Committee for its unqualified audit opinion despite the capacity constraints within the Supply Chain Management section. Despite this, the Committee has urged the agency to strengthen this unit as it plays a central role in ensuring adherence to governance procedures within the entity. The committee also lauded the agency for the support given to Resource Poor Farmers in relations to technical assistance on water use as well as application for government subsidies.
Despite the low rainfall received by within the Inkomati-Usuthu Catchment Management Agency the Committee welcomes the interventions to ensure that rivers continue to flow. The Committee also welcomes the activation of first financial provisions made under the National Water Act that will ensure that ensures the establishment of a fund to address water related impacts associated with mines when they are liquidated or are bankrupt. The Committee also welcomes the collaboration with the South African Police Service to address environmental crimes within the water management area especially illegal sand mining.
Despite the good work done by both the Catchment Management Agencies the Committee is concerned by the late transfer of grants to the agencies by the Department of Water and Sanitation. This is supposed to be a simple systematic transaction and it currently is not. “The Committee has given the Acting Director-General two weeks to investigate and provide a written response to the Committee on the reasons behind the late transfer of the grants,” Mr Johnson emphasised.
Meanwhile, the Committee welcomes the great work that the board and senior management of the Trans-Caledon Tunnel Authority continue to do in financing and implementing bulk raw water infrastructure in the country. While the Committee is cognisant of the pressures presented by South Africa’s credit downgrade it is impressed that the entity continues to finance and implement projects within an acceptable risk framework and the most cost effective way.
“We remain concerned though about the assets book TCTA grows, but later remain idle in the balance sheet of WTE within the Department of Water and Sanitation.
These are the assets TCTA can leverage upon when raising funding cheaper without further exposing NT to more risks.” said Lulu Johnson.
The Committee has also highlighted the importance of efficient planning to ensure the arrest of costs escalation in implementing projects which will ensure the reduction of borrowing and debt.
ISSUED BY PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON WATER AND SANITATION, MR MLUNGISI JOHNSON
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