Statement issued by Gareth Morgan, DA Spokesperson on Water and Environmental Affairs, 19 September 2011
The debt owed by municipalities to water boards continues to grow. In reply to a parliamentary question to the Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs it has emerged that, as of 30 June 2011, municipalities owed water boards R1.89bn, of which R1.13bn is debt in arrears.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has been tracking this debt for more than two years now, and the trajectory is heading one way: upwards. Over the same period the DA has been calling for action to be taken by National Treasury to ensure municipalities pay their debt in arrears. However, there has been no overall improvement. These debts are compromising the financial sustainability of many of the water boards, and this could potentially affect the future provision of clean water to the public as well as the ability of water boards to expand water infrastructure to areas where there is currently no access to running water. Read more ...
The Courier - Die Koerier wonders how much the Kouga Municipality owes the local water board.
According to a report in the Our Times last two weeks ago prof Chimpie Cawood, DA leader in Kouga, said the municipality owes the Nelson Bay Metro Council R13 million for water.
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