Water and Sanitation on Water Interventions At Municipalities

Water interventions at municipalities impact on DWS's budget and performanceThe Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), today, 06 September 2017, told the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Appropriations (SCOA) that it had made necessary interventions on water services at various municipalities resulting in a negative impact on its 2016/17 budget and performance.The department reiterated that it could not ignore the water challenges that were being experienced by the municipalities and had to make necessary interventions to ensure that communities had access to the most basic of services.

The department appeared before SCOA to account on its Fourth Quarter Expenditure Patterns for the previous financial year. The SCOA supports the department's efforts to strengthen its internal financial controls and operational efficiencies, as well as to enable it to negotiate additional funding from the fiscus to deal with budget pressures related to infrastructure projects.

The department was urged to apply for more funding from the National Treasury in order for it to adequately discharge its work. It was also encouraged to put measures in place wherever fiscal ill-discipline arises.

The DWS also presented on amongst others, matters relating to commitments, accruals and budget shortfalls. The Committee raised the need for the DWS to have an audit of these items as they result in a mismatch between spending and programme performances.

Deputy Minister, Mrs Pamela Tshwete, said unlike the other entities which provide services, the department could not turn off taps as there was no...