National Assembly:   25 August 2009

Speaker,

The lack of adequate water in Jozini in the Umkhanyakude District is a mounting crisis which has been made worse by a crippling drought in the area. At times, the water crisis is so severe that even the local hospital has to make do without water.

The Umkhanyakude municipality has written numerous letters to local and national government seeking assistance, but they have received no reply to date. The municipality is also currently R16 million rands in the red due to the fact that it has had to hire water tanks from suppliers at very high costs. Yet the nearby Jozini dam, which has the capacity to deliver water to the community, remains unutilized, for reasons unknown to us.

The IFP therefore calls on government to immediately intervene in the crisis and we call on the Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs to visit the area as a matter of urgency to meet with the mayor.

Furthermore, we call on the Department of Water and Environmental Affairs to assist the Umkhanyakude municipality in repaying the millions of rands debt and to urgently give the municipality the necessary assistance they need to create a viable, sustainable water supply for the community.