Let us not reinvent the wheel in the water sector, Nomvula Mokonyane urges
She acknowledged that the government needs to create an enabling environment for investment and that the cost of doing business with the state has to be tackled
The call for private-sector investment in the water sector does not mean the government has changed its policy, Water and Sanitation Minister Nomvula Mokonyane told the Water Infrastructure Investment Summit in Sandton, on Tuesday. The summit was the first such conference calling for investment in water and sanitation infrastructure, showcasing opportunities in bulk-water supply and municipal reticulation. Mokonyane said the summit was not a call for new policy, but an effort to turn policy into action. "Let’s not reinvent the wheel," she said. The minister committed her department to restoring the operational integrity of dysfunctional water supply and sanitation, and to provide capacity support to municipalities. In November, the Department of Water and Sanitation issued warnings to about 30 municipalities that their water supply would be cut off unless they paid their arrears accounts. Local authorities owe the department about R10bn. The department estimated the investment gap o...
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