by AKANI CHAUKE
JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has pledged to accelerate efforts to expand access to safe and reliable water, saying the government is determined to honour Nelson Mandela’s legacy by ensuring every South African enjoys the constitutional right to water.
In his weekly newsletter following Nelson Mandela Day commemorations, Ramaphosa said the most meaningful way to celebrate the late statesman’s life was through action that improves the lives of ordinary citizens.
“Celebrating Madiba’s birthday through good works is significant because it turns our remembrance of this global icon into action,” Ramaphosa said.
He added that Mandela’s vision of freedom extended beyond political rights to include the dignity of decent living conditions and access to basic services.
The President highlighted the launch of the National Water Access Acceleration Programme, which aims to provide decentralised water supply schemes to underserved communities.
The initiative was unveiled in Hammanskraal, Gauteng, where residents have endured years of water shortages and where a cholera outbreak claimed lives three years ago.
As part of the programme, government handed over boreholes to the community and commissioned the Klipdrift Package Water Treatment Plant.
Similar interventions, including groundwater development, borehole drilling, rainwater harvesting and rehabilitation of existing water schemes, are being rolled out in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape.
Ramaphosa acknowledged that many municipalities have struggled to maintain ageing infrastructure and deliver reliable water services, resulting in worsening shortages and declining water quality.
He said the National Water Crisis Committee, established earlier this year, was coordinating government efforts to strengthen municipal water services, increase investment in infrastructure, reform institutions, improve regulation and tackle corruption.
Ramaphosa said the government had learnt from the electricity crisis that lasting solutions require structural reforms rather than temporary fixes.
He noted that the National Water Action Plan brings together all spheres of government and sector stakeholders under a single programme with defined responsibilities and deadlines.
Over the next three years, government has allocated R156 billion to water and sanitation infrastructure.
Ramaphosa said enforcement action would be taken against municipalities and officials who fail to comply with water and environmental legislation.
“Our ultimate goal is not merely to get over the current crisis, but to fulfil Madiba’s vision of all South Africans enjoying their constitutionally enshrined right to access to water,” Ramaphosa said, adding, “Water is dignity and therefore central to Mandela’s legacy.”
– CAJ News