Parliament, Saturday, 29 August 2026 – Residents of the Greater Mopani District Municipality have thrown their weight behind the Water Services Amendment Bill and are calling for stronger accountability, institutional capacity and enforcement to ensure that the legislation translates into reliable and quality water services for communities.
They made the call during the first of three public hearings in Limpopo, convened by Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation at Lenyenye Community Hall yesterday.
While the Bill received overwhelming support, participants told the committee that the success of the Bill will depend on the capacity of the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), municipalities and water service providers to effectively implement and enforce its provisions.
Participants called on the DWS to strengthen its institutional capacity to ensure that where water service providers fail to deliver quality services, interventions by the Minister can be undertaken expeditiously and result in tangible improvements for the affected communities.
They also called for the establishment of a public compliance register that would give residents access to information on licensing conditions, service performance and results, directives, remedial actions and complaints mechanisms.
Participants said clearer transparency would provide the public with an opportunity to raise concerns and hold water service providers accountable to meet prescribed service standards.
Another key concern that was highlighted was the failure of some district municipalities, which are Water Services Authorities, to enter into Service Level Agreements with water service providers. Participants called for the Bill to make such agreements mandatory, pointing out that clearly defined responsibilities, obligations and performance standards are essential to ensuring reliable and quality water services.
They also identified governance and management failures at municipal level as contributing to persistent challenges in accessing water. Concerns were also expressed about the capacity of some district municipalities to fulfil their responsibilities as Water Services Authorities, particularly where they lack the financial resources and technical expertise required to operate and maintain complex water treatment infrastructure.
Participants warned that these structural challenges can result in local and district municipalities resorting to the tendency of blaming each other for service-delivery failures while the people suffer the consequences.
The continued reliance on water tankers was another major concern highlighted during the hearing. Communities expressed their hope that the Bill would alleviate the use of tankers as a primary means of water provision and create sustainable and reliable long-term water infrastructure.
Participants argued that the usage of water tankers should be a temporary measure in the event of water outage, not as a permanent or long-term solution. They appealed to the municipalities to invest in permanent water solutions.
The committee welcomed the submissions and assured the participants that their views and recommendations will be taken into consideration as it deliberates on the Bill.
The committee emphasised that public hearings are an important mechanism for Parliament to listen directly to communities and ensure that legislation responds to the realities experienced by people on the ground.
“The concerns raised by communities are critical to our consideration of this Bill. Parliament must ensure that legislation is responsive to the lived experiences of South Africans, particularly communities that continue to experience challenges in accessing reliable and quality water services. We welcome the constructive participation of the people of Mopani and will carefully consider their recommendations as we process the Bill,” said Mr Sello Dithebe, the Acting-Chairperson of the committee.
The public hearings form part of Parliament’s constitutional responsibility, in terms of Section 59 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, to facilitate meaningful public participation in its legislative and other processes.
The Water Services Amendment Bill seeks to address persistent challenges affecting South Africa’s water sector, including unreliable water and sanitation services, inadequate management and maintenance of infrastructure, declining water quality, gaps in accountability and weak enforcement mechanisms.
Among its key proposals are the introduction of a mandatory licensing system for water service providers, minimum competency standards for water services professionals, clearer separation of responsibilities between Water Services Authorities and Water Services Providers, stronger penalties for non-compliance and enhanced enforcement powers for the Minister where persistent service-delivery failures occur.
The Limpopo hearings provide communities with an opportunity to contribute directly to legislation that could have a lasting impact on the governance and delivery of water and sanitation services.
The committee continues with its public hearings in Limpopo today at Nirvana Community Hall in the Capricorn District Municipality and will tomorrow hold hearings in Bela-Bela.
LIMPOPO HEARINGS
DATE DISTRICT/LOCAL MUNICIPALITY VENUE/TIME
Saturday, 29 August Capricorn District Municipality
Venue - Polokwane Local Municipality Nirvana Community Hall
Time - 10:00
Sunday, 30 August Waterberg District Municipality, Bela-Bela Local Municipality
Venue - Bela- Bela Multipurpose Hall
Time – 10:00
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE ACTING-CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON WATER AND SANITATION, MR SELLO DITHEBE
For media enquiries or interviews with the Chairperson, please contact the committee’s Media Officer:
Name: Malatswa Molepo (Mr)
Parliamentary Communication Services
Tel: 021 403 8438
Cell: 081 512 7920
E-mail: mmolepo@parliament.gov.za
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