A support team has been set up to help eThekwini communities facing water shortages, says the municipality.
City manager Musa Mbhele introduced the team during a two-day water and sanitation workshop, which ended on Wednesday December 13.
The team would seek long-term solutions to water scarcity problems dogging communities, he said.
It includes former eThekwini city manager Sibusiso Sithole, former Harry Gwala District Municipality municipal manager Nandi Dlamini and former Ugu District Municipality water services authority executive Maxwell Pawandiwa. They have been appointed on 12-month contracts.
“The establishment of the support team is also aimed at ensuring the seamless implementation of the council-approved water and sanitation turnaround strategy,” said Mr Mbhele.
Municipal staff regulations permitted the municipality to make such fixed-term contract appointments “in exceptional circumstances without adhering to the prescribed recruitment, selection and appointment of staff procedures and processes”, he said.
The team had been appointed in response to complaints about the city’s water and sanitation services, he said.
“Council took a decision that service delivery, good governance, sound financial management and institutional stability are areas that will not be compromised. Therefore the introduction of the support team is a positive development towards resolving service-delivery bottlenecks that frustrate the provision of potable water to consumers.”
To date more than R290 million had been spent on repairs to water and sanitation infrastructure wrecked by the 2022 floods, he said, noting that most of those repairs had been completed.
“To ensure supply of potable water to the communities we serve, the municipality has budgeted R1 billion for water services for the 2023/2024 financial year. This budget will be spent on the Southern Aqueduct project and the replacement of the water pipe system.
“Over the medium-term revenue expenditure framework, R2.1 billion will be spent on the replacement of water pipes and other water-loss interventions. The maintenance of our facilities and the reticulation network is vital to ensure that the system is capacitated to continuously deliver at acceptable standards.“
Mr Mbhele said the major water projects to be rolled out in eThekwini include:
• A water recycling project for industries to free up potable water, to enhance water supply in areas experiencing water scarcity.
• Exploring technologies such as desalination to enhance water supply and improve water security.
• Fast-tracking the construction of the upper Umkhomazi Dam to ensure sufficient water supply in eThekwini.