Minister needs to give urgent account of inadequate water tanks at schools

18 June 2020

The Democratic Alliance (DA) calls on the Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation, Lindiwe Sisulu, to urgently give clarity to Parliament’s portfolio committee on water and sanitation regarding the procurement process related to the R600 million tender which was awarded to Rand Water to supply water tanks to schools across the country.

The Minister announced her plan to provide 3 126 schools with water and water tanks in April. On 31 May, 354 schools had reportedly been supplied with tankers, while 1 320 still needed to be sent. There has been no further communication from the Department on how many schools have since received the promised water tanks.

The DA has on the other hand received numerous complaints that schools have not received water tanks, or that the tanks received were of such poor quality that they collapsed when filled with water.

See pictures here, here, here and here.

The fact that these tanks need to be of the highest quality should not need to be explained. The water tanks are essential for the health of the children attending and personnel working in schools. They should be durable and safe. The Department of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation are spending millions of rands on the procurement of water tanks that are clearly inadequate and pose potential safety risks.

The Minister did not just promise adequate water delivery to schools, she also promised it to vulnerable communities. There have been numerous reports of communities that are still without water, or big communities that have only one communal tap to share.

This is simply unforgivable. South Africa finds itself in the middle of a pandemic where the best line of defense is hygiene. By not providing schools and communities with a basic human right, she is actively endangering the lives of the already vulnerable people living there.

The Minister must also provide clarity on other outstanding matters such as what happened to her plan to de-densify areas across the country? Has a timeline been established? Has her Department informed the residents of who will be moving, and where they will be relocated to? Is the proper infrastructure in place at the new sites?

The Minister cannot continue to dodge accountability for these projects and must give the Nation an urgent account of what is happening. What might be pipe dreams and empty words to Minister, is vitally important for the survival of vulnerable people.

Issued byLeon Basson,DA Shadow Minister Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation, 18 June 2020